More heroin in Chch

Press, 13 July 1985, Page 1

More heroin in Chch

Heroin is back on Christchurch streets in big quantities for the first time since 1979, according to the police and doctors. The Alcohol and Drug Dependence Centre has recorded a big increase in admissions of heroin addicts in recent weeks. The centre treated 10 heroin users last month, compared with one in May, four in April (two of those were from overseas) and two in March. A drug counsellor at the centre, Ms Daryl Deeming, said drug users were saying there was a lot of heroin about. It cost about $6O a

dose, the same as “homebake” morphine. “It is the first time we have had so many coming along talking about heroin,” she said. Most addicts used either heroin, homebake, or a particular brand of powerful analgesic pain-killer, depending on what was available. The centre had 23 drug admissions last month, compared with 11 in May, 20 in April, and 17 in March. Ms Deeming said it was hard to tell whether the heroin was imported, or had been converted from homebake. Homebake can be

changed to heroin relatively easily with the addition of a chemical. The senior psychiatrist at the centre, Dr John Dobson, said that the work of the police drug squad was clearly affecting homebake laboratories, but imported heroin was now a problem in Christchurch. He thought about half the heroin came from homebake, and the rest was imported. The head of the drug squad, Detective Inspector Bob McMeeking, said that a few small seizings of heroin had been made in recent months.

Heroin had been “spasmodically rare” in Christchurch since 1979, although it now appeared to be more readily available. “During the last few months it is apparent there have been importations. At what size and frequency we do not know, because of our small number of successful seizures. We probably catch the tip of the iceberg.” Mr McMeeking said he thought that most of the importations were on a small scale. “I imagine that some persons coming back from overseas bring small quantities with them.”