CONTROLLED HEROIN AVAILABILITY IN AUSTRALIA - HOW AND TO WHAT END

The general public, police, service providers, and users/ex-users were asked their views about options for trial design and trial outcomes w ith regard to a proposal for experimental controlled heroin availabili ty. There was substantial agreement between the samples on issues conc erning trial design. In general, the samples from the community, servi ce providers and users/ex-users were more likely to report that a tria l would result in positive outcomes, whereas the police sample was mor e likely to report that a trial would result in negative outcomes. Thi s study illustrates the value of systematic consultation of key groups in exploring the options for change, raising potential difficulties, and highlighting different interests.