Heroin addiction cure praised

A federal parliamentary committee has praised the work of a Perth doctor who uses naltrexone implants to help heroin users overcome their addiction.

A federal parliamentary committee has praised the work of a Perth doctor who uses naltrexone implants to help heroin users overcome their addiction.The committee, chaired by Kay Hull, visited George O’Neil’s clinic today and spoke to former addicts who have undergone the controversial treatment.Mrs Hull says she would like naltrexone implants to be made available to all heroin addicts in Australia.”Before we do that, what we need to have is a full trial to determine the ethicacy of this treatment,” she said.”I believe that will stack up and then after that I would like to see all governments adopting this method, that those people who want to become abstinent are able to access this choice of treatment.”Dr O’Neil says he is pleased the committee thinks his work is worthwhile.”I think the politicians who’ve come have been good politicians, searching very hard for a means of helping with the heroin epidemic.”(Source: ABC News: July 2004)