Ice to be allowed at second injecting room, Richmond residents’ dire warning

Lord Mayor Sally Capp has voiced concerns over Melbourne’s new supervised injecting room, warning that lessons must be learnt from the North Richmond facility.

The drug ice will be allowed at Melbourne’s new supervised injecting room in the CBD as residents surrounding the first centre in Richmond sound the alarm.

The rules in the new drug hub will be same as those at the North Richmond centre where “all injectable substances” – including methamphetamine – are permitted.

A Health Department spokeswoman told the Herald Sun: “This is consistent with practice around the world, including at Sydney’s medically supervised injecting centre.”

“Drug trends change over time and for the medically supervised injecting room to be effective in saving lives, it’s important the facility is able to adapt to this,’’ she said.

“A number of recent coronial investigations into overdose deaths have shown that those who had suffered a tragic overdose were found with multiple drugs in their system at the time of death.”

Ice has been a key concern of residents in North Richmond even though a review found methamphetamine accounted for 2.5 per cent of drugs injected in the centre’s first 18 months.

Many are furious the facility will be across the road from Flinders St station. Picture: Mark Stewart

Heroin, including with diphenhydramine, comprised 96.6 per cent of substances injected.

Melbourne’s Lord Mayor has voiced concerns about the potential Flinders St injecting room site, criticising state government failures in Richmond.

In a late-night flurry of tweets, Sally Capp expressed concern for people addicts shooting up and dying in Melbourne’s streets and acknowledged that supervised injecting rooms saved lives.

But she also added that the city’s residents and businesses needed to be heard.

“Lessons from the North Richmond facility show how critical it is to improve amenity and protect safety for local residents and businesses,” she said.

Ms Capp said locals had already contacted council concerned about the potential Flinders St site.

“There needs to be a serious commitment to investing in safety and cleanliness measures to respond to concerns of residents, traders and visitors... Many people have already expressed their concern about what this may mean for them or their business,” she wrote.

“These concerns are legitimate and understandable.

“The Victorian Government needs to establish a thorough process to consider their feedback.”

City Injecting Room

RICHMOND LOCALS’ DIRE WARNING

North Richmond residents warned the city facility, likely at the former Yooralla building opposite Flinders Street Station, must not repeat the mistakes of the first.

Father of two Neil Mallett said: “The government has demonstrated an inability to run the first one safely.”

“It beggars the question why we would risk further community damage without figuring out what is wrong.

“Again they are bulldozing ahead without the necessary consultation.

“It’s like the Wild West down there. All the rules that the rest of society has to abide by are forgone and forgiven to allow this government facility to attempt to function.”

Colin Watson, another resident, was “aghast” on hearing about the city proposal.

“If all they are going to do is replicate the same facility it will ruin the area,’’ he said. “They should be linked to hospitals or in industrial areas.”

Mum Jo Murphy said problems with the North Richmond centre, next to her youngest son’s school, should be fixed before setting up a second site.

Beth Halls and Elena Markushina, with sons Roman, 10, and Maxim, 8, and Jo Murphy, with son Cade, 11, near the Richmond injection rooms. Picture: David Caird

Putting an injecting room in a high density area was problematic and allowing users to take drugs like ice could increase the danger, she said.

“That is the scary part’’ Ms Murphy said. “They are highly unpredictable and highly volatile. The ice is the worst part.

“A second centre is definitely needed but they really need to think carefully where they put it.”

But Judy Ryan, another resident, said injecting rooms addressed the underlying health issues of addiction and needed to be where drug users were.

“Clearly something has to be done and the evidence shows you put an injecting room where the action is.

“The drug problem in Richmond and in Flinders Street has been there for decades. I go to Degraves Street and I love that area — but people have been there injecting and using anyway.”

Staff at the North Richmond centre have safely responded to more than 4000 overdoses.