Page 28 - WHACK35

S O M E O F T H E
Having a police record is B E N E F I T S O F A
a barrier to most career
paths these days. And time L E G AL IN J E C T IN G/
in detention is stressful, CO N SU MP T I O N
degrading, unhealthy and R O O M A R E:
disruptive to drug users
lives. And if you didn’t LE S S D E AT H
have Hep C before you - There is no 2 ways about
went in there is a fair it. More people would die
chance you might have it from overdose without
when you come out. the Medically Supervised
Injecting Centre. We have
resuscitated people who
A L L O F T H I S H A R M were blue, and we mean
IS P R E V E NTA B LE blue! These people may
IF C R IMIN A L L AW S have died if they had been
P E R TA ININ G TO elsewhere.
D R U G U S E W ER E
A M EN D ED. S A FE T Y
LE T T I N G T H E - It is a safer place to shoot
up, so you can take you
G OV ER N M EN T time without worrying
K N OW W H AT YO U about police nabbing you. A B O V E : M AU R E E N S T E E L E A N D E L E N A J E F F R E Y S F R O M M S I C
THINK A B O U T D R U G
L AW S A N D H OW N E W EQ U I P M EN T - It’s a great place to meet P EER ED U C ATO R S
T H E Y S H O U L D B E - All fresh equipment and network with others AND MANAG E R S
C H ANG E D I S RE AL LY is supplied, including who know about drugs, O F CO N S U M P T I O N
specialty items such as
I M P O R TA NT. wheel filters, sterifilts and how to take drugs, drug R O O M S IN
butterflies which makes it laws, treatment options,
It is not fair that users are safer to inject our drugs of housing ideas, links to drug VI C TO R IA .
harassed and targeted. It’s choice. user groups, Hep C and
also not fair that users are other health care, mental Melbourne desperately
discriminated against. health support. needs a Consumption
The upcoming submission A S S IS TA N C E Room, for all users and
process is one way for - Staff help you to find S UP P OR T catering for all routes of
you to let the Victorian veins. Unfortunately, staff - Coffee, tea and watching administration, including
Government know you can’t inject you, and neither a bit of telly or reading the injecting, smoking and
think about the law, the can your mates, but they paper after your shot, a other routes. A more
impact that criminalisation can point to exactly where stress free way of making general ‘drug consumption
has on users, and how you to go! sure you are safe, especially room,’ along the lines of
would like to be better if you are on the nod. what they have in Europe
protected from prejudices P EER S means it is accessible to
and stigma. - Safe injecting rooms are N O J U D G EM EN T more users. .
a great idea if you inject on - It feels good hanging out European Consumption
Services such as the your own. Lots of people with people who don’t Rooms include an area for
Medically Supervised use the Injecting Centre judge you. supervised injecting, and
Injecting Centre (MSIC) because they don’t want ‘smoking room’ for ice
in Kings Cross have made their family or others to CO M M U N I T Y smokers. Consumption
a huge change to the know but they still want to - Drug users are the people rooms are for everyone.
accessibility of somewhere be safe. most able to implement There is no need to
to (legally) inject. good community distinguish between ‘safe
It would be fantastic A N O N Y M I T Y development projects. ice rooms’ and ‘heroin
if there were one or - You can use a preferred rooms.’
more similar services in name and protect your It is unbelievable that
Melbourne. own privacy, no Medicare D R U G U S E R S A R E the there is still only one
card required. TH E R I G HT P E O P LE safe injecting room/drug
TO BE L E A D ER S , consumption room in
COM MUN I C AT I ON Australia.

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