Pubdate: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 Source: Border Mail (Australia) Copyright: 2003 Border Mail Contact: http://www.bordermail.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1017 Author: B. McConnell Cited: Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform http://www.ffdlr.org.au/ DRUGS ISSUE NEEDS NEW APPROACH ATTEMPTS to deal effectively with drugs brings back early memories of my school friends mother saying to him: "I have told you 1000 times..." I often wondered why she did not change her approach after the second or even the 10th failure to achieve change. Australia has spent enormous sums of money trying to prevent drugs coming into the country and trying to stop people using drugs. Prevention methods so far have been unsuccessful and the problem has worsened. Almost 40 per cent of Australians have tried illegal drugs. In 2001, for cannabis, amphetamine and heroin, law enforcement seized about 15 per cent of my back-of-the-envelope estimate of 39 tonnes that washed over our streets. If after our "1000" efforts it is still easy to get drugs, it is time to change. The greatest danger for a person using an illegal drug is not knowing what is in the pill they swallow or the substance they inject because the drugs are sold through an uncontrolled black market. If we cannot stop the availability or use of drugs then we need policies that will minimise the harm. The Greens policy tackles the drug issue from this angle. We would prefer our young people not use drugs but we would certainly want to see them still alive and as healthy as possible after their drug using episode. Surely, after our previously failed "1000" attempts, the Greens policy is worth serious consideration. B. McConnell, President, Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform, Higgins - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake