NSW's first drug summit saved lives. It's time for a second | Matt Noffs

The 1999 summit produced a fundamental shift in drugs policy and treatment. There’s no reason to doubt we can do it again

Let’s be honest – the word summit doesn’t have a sexy ring to it. It sounds more like a talkfest. But only a handful of people really know just how world-changing the first NSW drug summit was.

At that time, the then premier Bob Carr was faced with an unprecedented number of heroin overdoses. The back alleys of Kings Cross were lined with dirty needles, and often bodies. Cabramatta – illustrated for a global audience in the Cate Blanchett film Little Fish – highlighted the issue out west. At the other end of the city, on Bondi beach, kids were warned not to jump off the concrete barrier onto the sand for fear of needlestick injuries or worse. It was a different era.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2ULQX6X
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