Pubdate: Thu, 13 May 1999 Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Contact: http://www.smh.com.au/ Author: Bob Carr WHERE ZERO TOLERANCE SHOULD BEGIN Your correspondent Ted Bassingthwaighte (Letters, May 12) suggests drug users, police, academics, legal and health professionals have been spurned by the Drug Summit in favour of one group: parents. In fact, the majority of participants come from the professions and interest groups Mr Bassingthwaighte lists. Representing the perspective of drug users are a number of individuals including Annie Madden and Maureen Steele (NSW Users and AIDS Association). There are also pharmacists, police officers, lawyers, ambulance officers, GPs, drug and alcohol workers, young people, mayors and community workers. Among academics attending are: Dr Gabriele Bammer (National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health); Professor Peter Reuter (University of Maryland in the US); Professor Wayne Hall (National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre); Professor Ian Webster (Alcohol and Other Drugs Cpuncil of Australia); Professor Tim Stockwell (National Centre for Research into the Prevention of Drug Abuse); Dr Alex Wodak (St Vincent's Hospital). One session will see delegates visiting treatment centres, methadone clinics and needle programs. Bob Carr, Premier of NSW, Sydney - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea