Reaction to Victoria's drug injecting room

REACTION TO VICTORIA'S HEROIN INJECTING ROOM TRIAL

* "What has changed to bring about a new policy? Well, we have the highest heroin overdose death toll since 2000. Circumstances are different." - Premier Daniel Andrews

* "We are actually saving the lives of these people, because we cannot get them into rehab if they're dead." - Reason Party MP Fiona Patten on 3AW

* "The government is basing this on evidence, we've had the evidence from Sydney for 13 years." - Greens MP Colleen Hartland

* "Daniel Andrews' rushed announcement to set up a drug injecting room in Richmond is a panicked backflip from a desperate premier who has given up fighting Victoria's drug problems." - Opposition mental health spokeswoman Emma Kealy

* "The most compelling reason to trial a supervised injecting facility is that it will save lives of heroin users." - Victorian Healthcare Association chief executive Tom Symondson

* "It will support some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in our community, improve public health, and reduce risks to individuals and the wider community." - Uniting Vic chief executive Paul Linossier (Uniting runs the Sydney centre)

* "It's really on the back of a lot of tragedy experienced by a lot of people." - Residents for Victoria Street Drug Solutions secretary Judy Ryan

* "The injecting room in Sydney is within a retail area, not residential, and this is clearly a residential area, a school next door, there's no reason the injecting room can't be put down Victoria Street." - North Richmond resident, Lola