Source: Age, The (Australia) Contact: http://www.theage.com.au/ Pubdate: Tue 7 July, 1998 Author: Mary-Anne Toy RADICAL NEW DRUG PLAN Victoria yesterday unveiled Australia's most progressive approach to fighting illicit drug use, announcing a statewide caution scheme for first-time cannabis users that is likely to be extended to heroin and other hard drugs. The cautions will apply from 1 September to offenders found with less than 50 grams of cannabis. The chief commissioner of police, Mr Neil Comrie, and the Premier, Mr Jeff Kennett, said a six-month trial in the Broadmeadows police district in which first-time cannabis offenders were cautioned had been so successful it would be extended to all districts. Mr Comrie said the Government had approved a $600,000 pilot for a similar cautioning system for other illicit drugs, including heroin. The Drug Diversion Pilot would also begin on 1 September, in the Broadmeadows district, and, if successful, the cautioning system for small amounts of other illicit drugs was likely to be extended statewide. Mr Comrie said the new policy did not mean police were going ``soft'' on drugs but reflected the force's determination to increase pressure on traffickers. ``There is a clear distinction between decriminalisation, which I remain firmly against, and an approach which, in appropriate cases, offers practical help and early treatment to low-level drug users,'' he said. The cannabis pilot program had shown that young people who were cautioned and given help were less likely to reoffend. ``I am absolutely convinced that the Drug Diversion Pilot will ultimately save lives by keeping people away from the downward spiral of drug abuse and criminal stigmatism,'' Mr Comrie said. ``It is not too dramatic to say that this trial project (the Drug Diversion Pilot) and subsequent implementation will save lives. ``A substantial proportion of crime everywhere can be connected to the drug trade and any efforts to break the cycle of drug abuse and its links to crime will have far-reaching benefits for all Victorians.'' Mr Comrie said 245 people died from drug overdoses in Victoria last year and there had been 170 drug overdose deaths this year, 78 per cent of which were heroin-related. Mr Kennett said the cost of the initiatives, funded from within existing programs, including the Turning the Tide drug campaign, would be offset by savings in court costs. ``I emphasise that this is a warning system only,'' Mr Kennett said. ``If they continue to offend they will go to court.'' The extension of the cannabis cautioning program was widely applauded yesterday by welfare and drug agencies. If the cautioning system is eventually extended statewide for other illicit drugs, this would represent a first for Australia. South Australia is the only state that has decriminalised cannabis. During the cannabis cautioning pilot program, only eight of the 97 offenders cautioned reoffended during the six-month trial period, and 93 per cent of officers surveyed said the procedure saved resources for more serious matters. The program applied only to people caught with less than 50 grams, with no history of drug offences, and who admitted the offence and agreed to the caution. There was a maximum of two cautions. The caution notice, which could be issued on the spot or at a police station, included information about a 24-hour help line. The program for other illicit drugs will have stricter conditions. Police must take offenders to a station and offenders will be required to undergo mandatory drug assessment and treatment provided by recommended agencies. If an offender fails to go to the agency, the matter will automatically proceed to court. Professor David Penington, who headed the Premier's Advisory Council on Illicit Drugs, which recommended in 1996 decriminalising possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana, yesterday congratulated police on their ``substantial'' change in attitude. ``They've recognised that the (drug) problem hasn't been solved by simple prohibition and that the problem has been getting worse, with more young people especially getting involved in the heroin scene,'' Professor Penington said. Mr Bill Stronach, the chief executive of the Australian Drug Foundation, a non-profit health promotion group, said it was a sensible approach that would free up police resources. A working party would decide the amount of other illicit drugs that would be regarded as non-traffickable amounts and permitted under the Drug Diversion Pilot. The Opposition Leader, Mr John Brumby, endorsed the Government's harm-minimisation approach, saying the Broadmeadows trial had been a success, saving police and court time and giving drug users the opportunity for counselling and rehabilitation. ``Tried across Victoria, I believe there would be annual savings that actually run into the tens of millions of dollars,'' he said. ``The cost to the police and court system through trying and then judging first-time marijuana users runs something between $25 million and $35 million a year. It's a huge cost.'' Mr Brumby supported the new trial for other drugs, including heroin, but stressed that it needed to be backed by an increase in resources for rehabilitation in treatment programs. - --- Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)