Every weekend my husband and I go to Melbourne's CBD and lay flowers in a laneway where my beautiful son, Danial, died - alone - in 2022.

Danial was 38 years old when he died of an overdose. He was the youngest of my three children.

He had struggled with a heroin addiction for 22 years. As his family we tried our best to support him. However, we were no experts.

He would use the Richmond injecting room regularly. In fact, my husband and I had taken him there in the early days when he was withdrawing to get heroin and use the needle exchange.

While using the Richmond safe injecting room Danial was treated with dignity and supported by health workers and a drug and alcohol counsellor. 

In 2021 Danial had moved into a new home after a period of homelessness, he was making progress and plans to get back into his small business. He had hope and no reason to want to die.

He was open about his addiction and how it took hold of him, sharing his daily challenges and the effect heroin had on him. He said once the heroin was in his hand, he couldn’t wait, every receptor in his body was screaming out for it.

In June 2022 Danial was out in Melbourne's CBD. We suspect he was on his way home around 3pm when he sourced heroin, which is in abundance in the CBD.

He then proceeded to Rainbow Alley, a small laneway near the Melbourne Town hall.

There is a step in Rainbow Alley where it is clear that drug users sit, out of sight of the patrons in the nearby café. They retreat to this location and they inject heroin. 

On this day Danial injected heroin on that step, stood up and collapsed with the needle still in his arm.

He was found by a young cafe worker- two patrons tried to help, then called 000. Two fire trucks, two ambulances and the police attended, and then the coroner.

The drug problem is not going away. 

Melbourne is one of the easiest places to access heroin. The war on drugs has failed to stamp out drug use and it’s time we recognize it’s a health issue. 

We need to protect vulnerable people and ensure they have a safe, discreet place to go where they'll get the help they need.

A CBD safe injecting room is vital as this is where drugs are being sold and used. 

Even though as a family we had many challenges due to Danial’s drug dependency, we also had a lot of joy with Danial in our lives.

We miss him.

Death is final. There is now no chance he will recover and get back on his feet. 

If there had been a safe injecting room in the CBD, there is every chance he could be alive today.