Pubdate: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 Source: Canberra Times (Australia) Contact: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/ Author: Alex Wodak DRUGS: HEALTH AND SOCIAL RESPONSES MUST BE FIRST UNDER current policy 84 per cent of Commonwealth and state government expenditure on illicit drugs is allocated to law enforcement. In recent years this criminal-justice-based approach in Australia has achieved spreading illicit drug use, a doubling of drug-overdose deaths, rapidly increasing crime rates and sufficient official corruption linked to drug prohibition to launch two Royal commissions. Yet the communique released after the 9 April drugs meeting of the Council of Australian Governments only promises more of the same. But not all countries are going backwards. Drug-overdose deaths in Switzerland halved in the same period that ours doubled. Drug use, deaths, disease, crime and corruption will keep on increasing in Australia until our politicians give priority to health and social responses to this issue. That is how Australia handled heroin dependence up till 1953. (Dr) ALEX WODAK President, Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, Darlinghurst, NSW Director, Alcohol and Drug Service, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck