Pubdate: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 Source: Courier-Mail, The (Australia) Copyright: News Limited 1999 Contact: GPO Box 130, Brisbane, Queensland 4001 Fax: (07) 3666 6696 Website: http://www.thecouriermail.com.au/ Author: Michael Mckenna, national political correspondent SOFTER LAWS FOR HARD DRUGS PEOPLE caught with hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine, speed and ecstasy will escape criminal conviction if they agree to rehabilitation under radical national reforms to be introduced in the new year. Prime Minister John Howard will today announce details of a diversionary programme that will waive con victions for offenders caught with small quantities of drugs if they undergo treatment. Under the plan, agreed to by all states and territories, offenders will be required to sign binding contracts requiring them to keep to the rehabilitation programme or go back to court. Depending on the programme, some offenders will be required to take urine tests as part of a close monitoring of their progress by court officials and police. Government sources say state police officers will play a key role in determining the eligibility for the programme of offenders they arrest. But the plan has already attracted criticism from civil libertarians and police unions, who believe it fails to tackle drug addiction and will subject officers to accusations of corruption. The diversionary programme for hard drug users is an extension of reforms announced by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie last month to waive convictions for marijuana users who agree to treatment. But Mr Beattie was forced to back down on the quantities users could possess to be eligible for the programme, after he set the limit at 500g – 10 times the limit in other states. Mr Howard is expected to announce today $110million in federal funding for about 300,000 new treatment places over the next four years. The reforms are part of Mr Howard's "tough on drugs" strategy, which is intended to keep young first-time offenders out of jail while targeting drug dealers with increased police enforcement, particularly in "source countries". A further $110million has been set aside for drug education in schools and for other "related initiatives". State and territory leaders are expected to meet in the next month to determine the details of the plan, including the range of quantities that will determine whether a per son is eligible for a rehabilitation programme. However, a senior Federal Government source said it was unlikely there would be uniform limits, given the differing state and territory drug laws. Queensland Police Union president Gary Wilkinson said he feared officers would be subjected to allegations of favouritism and corruption. "The police officers are better qualified to make the recommendations than anyone; they have the necessary appreciation of life on the street, but they are not going to get it right every time," he said. But Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman yesterday dismissed the plan as unworkable and absurd. He said governments needed to treat Australia's drug problem as a health issue, not strictly a judicial one. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake