apollo
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2001
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The Prime Minister, John Howard, has privately warned the Premier, Bob Carr, that Australia's $100 million a year legal opiate industry could face sanctions if the NSW Government persists with its legal injecting room trials.
The warning, in a letter to Mr Carr this month, surprised senior NSW officials, given it arrived two months after Parliament approved legislation to extend the injecting room trial, with bipartisan support from the Opposition Leader, John Brogden.
Mr Howard's letter to Mr Carr, a copy of which has been obtained by the Herald, says the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (UNINCB) has written to the Australian Government to object to the injecting room.
"In its recent correspondence, the International Narcotics Control Board has urged the Australian Government to take necessary measures to ensure any decisions taken fully comply with our international drug control treaty obligations," Mr Howard writes.
"Failure to do so could attract remedial action or the imposition of sanctions on Australia's licit opiates industry - an action that would jeopardise Australian industry by damaging the international reputation of pharmaceutical companies throughout Australia and their ability to supply products essential to pain management and hospital and palliative care."
Mr Howard writes Australia is now the world's largest producer of legal opium alkaloids and thousands of people are employed in their production, processing and export in Tasmania, Victoria and NSW. "This is an issue we cannot afford to ignore," Mr Howard wrote.
In his reply, Mr Carr stressed that the NSW Government spends around $2.5 million a year on the trial - a fraction of the $130 million spent on its drugs strategy.
The letter noted the Commonwealth had been consulted on the proposal to extend the injecting room trial. Legal advice had assured the NSW Government the trial did not breach conventions. "I note your reference to possible sanctions, but I am advised that there has been no reference to sanctions in any INCB correspondence received by the NSW Government since the commencement of the trial," Mr Carr wrote.
The director of St Vincent's Drug and Alcohol Service, Dr Alex Wodak, said: "This is a hollow threat and says more about political positioning before a federal election than it does about policy."
The warning, in a letter to Mr Carr this month, surprised senior NSW officials, given it arrived two months after Parliament approved legislation to extend the injecting room trial, with bipartisan support from the Opposition Leader, John Brogden.
Mr Howard's letter to Mr Carr, a copy of which has been obtained by the Herald, says the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (UNINCB) has written to the Australian Government to object to the injecting room.
"In its recent correspondence, the International Narcotics Control Board has urged the Australian Government to take necessary measures to ensure any decisions taken fully comply with our international drug control treaty obligations," Mr Howard writes.
"Failure to do so could attract remedial action or the imposition of sanctions on Australia's licit opiates industry - an action that would jeopardise Australian industry by damaging the international reputation of pharmaceutical companies throughout Australia and their ability to supply products essential to pain management and hospital and palliative care."
Mr Howard writes Australia is now the world's largest producer of legal opium alkaloids and thousands of people are employed in their production, processing and export in Tasmania, Victoria and NSW. "This is an issue we cannot afford to ignore," Mr Howard wrote.
In his reply, Mr Carr stressed that the NSW Government spends around $2.5 million a year on the trial - a fraction of the $130 million spent on its drugs strategy.
The letter noted the Commonwealth had been consulted on the proposal to extend the injecting room trial. Legal advice had assured the NSW Government the trial did not breach conventions. "I note your reference to possible sanctions, but I am advised that there has been no reference to sanctions in any INCB correspondence received by the NSW Government since the commencement of the trial," Mr Carr wrote.
The director of St Vincent's Drug and Alcohol Service, Dr Alex Wodak, said: "This is a hollow threat and says more about political positioning before a federal election than it does about policy."
Source - smh.com.au - The Sydney Morning Herald.
Howard suddenly cares about what the UN has to say when it comes to a heroin injecting room saving lives... But he supported the invasion of Iraq, against everything the UN stands for. What a filthy hypocrite! I find Bob Carr and his policies objectionable, but his defense of the injecting room definitely earns him a pat on the back from me...
Anyway, I just hope Dr Wodak is correct when he says "This is a hollow threat and says more about political positioning before a federal election than it does about policy".
Do you think this actually poses a threat to the injecting room trial? Or our production of/access to opiate pain killers?
