PETITION FOR DR. JOHN MARKS

On 1st April 1995, Doctor John Marks will cease to be in charge of the drug dependence clinics at Widnes and Warrington. The local public health authorities have chosen to call a halt to what has been called "The Liverpool Experiment", the controlled distribution of hard drugs among addicts in the Mersey region. Over the last 12 years John Marks'initiative has produced a number of social and public health results, including a dramatic reduction of criminality and illegal drugs peddling, an extraordinary low rate of H.I.V. infection among the addicts treated at the Widness and Warrington clinics, and, most surprising of all, a dramatic reduction in the incidence of addiction.

Given the general implications of harm reduction for worldwide public health policy, we, specialists from all over the globe, solemnly declare that it is most important that Doctor Marks should continue witt his practice, as he has done successfully for the last 12 years.

(Name) (Christian Name) (Address) (Signature)

(Editions du Lézard, 9, Passage Dagorno, 75020 Paris, tel. 33-1-40.09.69.69, fax. 33-1-40.09.69.71)

(Radical Party - CoRA, Via di Torre Argentina 76, 00186 Rome, tel. 39-6-689.791, fax. 39-6-6880.5396, e-mail radical party@agora.stm.it).