Pubdate: Thu, 22 Apr 1999
Source: Scotsman (UK)
Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 1999
Contact:  http://www.scotsman.com/
Forum: http://www.scotsman.com/
Author: Peter MacMahon

TORIES AIM TO FREE SCOTLAND OF DRUGS WITHIN TWO DECADES

THE Tory pary yesterday said it wanted to create a "drugs-free
Scotland" within the next two decades.

The Scottish Conservatives' deputy leader, Annatel Goldie, set the
target at a press conference in Glasgow yesterday at which her party
reinforced its "zero tolerance" policy on drugs.

Miss Goldie, described by the Tories as the party's "drugs supremo",
said that tackling the drugs plague in Scotland was one of the most
urgent tasks facing the Scottish parliament.

She said that the Tories were committed to introducing minimum
sentences for convicted drugs dealers, to overhaul the way the legal
system deals with serious drug offences through fast-track
prosecution; and not to allow bail for those changed with drug dealing.

Miss Goldie defended the Tory's support for the pre-conviction
confiscation of the assets of suspected drugs dealers, though she said
that the Conservaives were not going against the legal principle that
a person is innocent until proven guilty.

Miss Goldie added: "We take the view that if the balance of fairness
has to be struck in favour of our law-abiding communities, of parents
with children, then we feel we have to ensure that we have very
stringent measures in place to tackle the evil of suppliers.

"We are absolutely unequivocal about what our objective is - a drugs
free Scotland even if it takes ten or 20 years to achieve. We have to
make a start in achieving that."

David McLetchie, the Tory leader, speaking at the same press
conference said: "Innocent, honest people should have no problem in
explaining where they acquire their assets from, none
whatsoever."

Mr McLetchie used the press conference to launch an attack on Jim
Wallace, the leader ofthe Scottish Liberal Democrats, who he accused
of being "soft on drugs" after the Scottish Liberal Democrats' leader
said he had an open mind on the issue of decriminalising cannabis.

The Tory leader said, 'I just think that it is sending the wrong
message. The emphasis has to be on tackling drngs.

"People I have spoken to who work within this area say that cannabis
is a progressive drug and people move on to taking more serious
addictive drugs and I think you are sending exactly the wrong signal
and you risk shattering the consensus that has been very carefully
built up since we were in government."

However, Mr McLetchie's assertion was contradicted by a leading
anti-drugs caanpaigner during a visit by the Tory team to the Calton
Athletic drugs recovery group in Glasgow.

David Bryce, the group's director, told Mr McLetchie that in Holland
after cannabis has been decriminalised the average age of heroine
[sic] users was 35 whereas itwas 20 in Glasgow.

Mr Bryce said: "Young Dutch people do not make the move from cannabis
to heroine [sic]. That's the figures. Out of all the drugs out there,
cannabis is the least harmful compared to tobacco and alcohol."

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