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PA RLIA M E NTA RY IN QU IRY SU B MI SS I O N E X A M PLE S .

H RV I C H O P E S T H AT O U R CO M M U N I T Y W I L L U S E T H I S R E S O U R C E TO H E L P T H E M W R I T E
S U B M I S S I O N S FO R T H E CO M M I T T E E , S O T H E Y C A N M A K E D E C I S I O N S B A S E D O N W H AT
T HE D R UG U S IN G CO MM U NI T Y WAN T.

SUBMISSION LET TER

RE: VIC TORIAN NEEDLE AND SYRING E PROG R AM OPER ATING POLIC Y AND GUIDELINE S
A N D P E E R D I S T R I B U T I O N L AW R E FO R M
Fill out, cut out and send ASAP to :
HRVic Parliamentary Inquiry Submissions, PO Box 12720 A’Beckett St, Melbourne VIC 8006

Date: ____/____/2016

To the Members of the Committee for Law Reform, Roads and Community Safety,

I am writing to you in relation to the Victorian Needle and Syringe Program Operating Policy and
Guidelines.

The current laws in Victoria run completely against any good practice or harm reduction principles.

Presently, under the Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981, a person is guilty of an offense if they
provide a clean needle or syringe to a peer (under Section 80(5)).

This law, which is not reflected in neighbouring jurisdictions such as Tasmania and the ACT, penalises
people who provide their peers with clean and safe injecting equipment. It is a law that does little more
than encourage unsafe drug use practices.

Currently, peer-based community organisations such as Harm Reduction Victoria are forced to regis-
ter users as Needle and Syringe Program outreach workers in order for them to legally provide sterile
injecting equipment to their peers. This is a completely unnecessary bureaucratic burden, and provides
no benefit for people in regional areas who cannot be accessed by these outreach services.

Nobody should be punished for wishing to protect the safety of their drug injecting peers.

I ask that you consider bringing this law in line with standards interstate, and amend this
harmful and unsafe legislation so that people are no longer prosecuted for keeping their
friends safe.

Sincerely,

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