Minister calls for perspective on injection centre after overdose of teenager nearby

The Victorian government is urging people not to lose sight of the benefits of Melbourne's safe injecting room, after a teenager died of a reported overdose nearby.

Emergency services were called to Egan Street in Richmond yesterday morning, where a 15-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have not confirmed the cause of death, but say it is not being treated as suspicious, with some media outlets calling it an overdose.

The city's medically-supervised injecting room is based at the North Richmond Community Health centre on nearby Lennox Street.

Only people who are older than 18 are allowed to use the service.

The teenager's death came after local residents and business owners staged a protest on Saturday calling for the injecting room to be moved.

Gabrielle Williams, the state government's minister for youth and for women, said the death was tragic.

"It's an absolute tragedy what happened with that young boy and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones, who I'm sure are in a state of high grief at the moment," she told reporters.

She said people should remember the safe injecting room is doing good work.

"I don't think we should lose focus on the fact though that the injecting room has safely managed some 1800 overdoses over the last year," she said.

"That's 1800 circumstances which may well have ended up in death or serious injury."

The Greens said the teenager's death shows age restrictions at the safe injecting room should be scrapped.

"We don't yet know how this teenager died, but this awful incident reminds us that drug-use has no age limit and neither should harm-reduction," Victorian Greens health spokesman Tim Read said.

Dr Read said the state government must also consider how it can support and protect the community, including by working more closely with Yarra Council.

Victoria Street Traders Association President Meca Ho said while drug issues are a problem in Richmond, he believes the safe injecting room has increased local criminal activity and should be moved elsewhere.

"Relocate it where it's more appropriate, where it's near a hospital. That's where lives should be saved," he told ABC Melbourne.