Denham helped introduce naloxone access and needle and syringe dispensing initiatives during more than 25 years in drug policy.

I'm yet to see anywhere in the world where the law and order issue has been successful in addressing and dealing with and eradicating drug use.

And there are lots of police now who would, not willingly, but certainly they would acknowledge that what we've done in the past around law and order hasn't worked.

And if you look at the amount of drugs that are available, the types of drugs, and the fact that Those drugs have been available for a long time, which suggests that the law and order approach isn't successful.

It's not doing what it was supposed to do, and that was to stop people using drugs and to eradicate the drug trade.

In fact, if anything, it's getting worse because of the law and order approach.

And I think if we look at it from, I

guess, cost-effectiveness as well, then we need to look at every aspect of how drug prohibition and the way those laws are enforced, have a look at the outcomes from that.

I

think the way in which the media portrays people and the stereotyping and the moral panic approach through the media and the way in which people, particularly people who inject drugs, are portrayed, that exacerbates people's concerns about people who use drugs.

There's what's actually happening on the streets, in the school, in the flats, and then there's the media narrative.

I don't think we should dismiss people's concerns.

And I think that if you live in an area or work in an area and you are impacted by people's behaviour, then... you kind of expect something to be done about it.

It's a dilemma, I think, for police and service providers, how to meet the needs and expectations of the community.

I can understand why some people would want a facility to be moved, even though we know that that's not going to deal with the issue.

You know, the issue would still be here.

Advocates met politicians who privately expressed support but would not take the proposal through their party rooms.

Council were also supportive.

So they worked with us on the advocacy for the injecting room.

There was a proposal put to Council in 2013 by Council.

So Council put that up as a proposal, a pilot for an injecting room being set up.

And it was voted 6-1 in favour.

And naturally enough, you think that that's going to go ahead, you know, it's going to happen.

In May 2013, research led by Dr Robin Dwyer documented rising overdose deaths, blood-borne virus risks, plus a growing community concern about public injecting and discarded syringes.

So who was represented at the forum?

Anybody could come along.

Anybody.

Anything was on the table.

Drug agencies, Turning Point, there were councils, there was police, there were some residents there, some traders.

It was a great cross-section of key stakeholders.

And I think the advantage that the Yarra Dragon Health Forum had was that they never put up a panacea.

The Forum has always seen itself