20,000 ECSTASY TABLETS SEIZED

Massive haul for '06 reflects huge demand for drugs Bermuda's
voracious appetite for drugs yesterday prompted fresh calls for an
urgent national debate.

Figures released to the Bermuda Sun show Customs and police seized
massive amounts of drugs last year worth more than $33m - 80 per cent
more than in 2005.

There is also disturbing evidence that there is a growing demand for
the club drug ecstasy after Customs seized more than 20,000 pills in
one haul in May. A man pleaded guilty to ecstasy importation last
month and is due to be sentenced on Friday.

One police source told us: "Ecstasy is the new drug of choice in
Bermuda. Interdiction methods are not sophisticated enough to catch
it and it doesn't leave any overt signs of use, like smell. There's
also the social component - most people pop it before they go out."

What is more worrying is that the volume of drugs seized is widely
accepted to represent a very small portion of the actual amount of
drugs making it onto the street.

Yesterday former Cabinet Minister and MP Ashfield DeVent said: "It is
obvious that we have lost the war on drugs. Looking at the figures
there is obviously a demand that seems to be continuing to grow."

The figures for 2006 show Customs seized nearly $24m worth of
cannabis, more than $7m worth of heroin, more than $1m worth of
ecstacy. The authorities also seized more than $380,000 worth of
crack, which many consider to be the most damaging drug of all.

So far, calls for a national discussion have fallen on deaf ears with
the Government sticking to the 'just say no' policy popularized by
Nancy Reagan more than 20 years ago.

But Mr. DeVent, whose constituency covers some of Bermuda's most
impoverished neighbourhoods, says we need a new approach, which can
only be reached by having a frank and honest debate.

He said: "If you look at the amount of drugs seized and the size of
the population, the saying 'Bermudians like to drink' might as well
be changed to 'Bermudians like to get high.'

"We need to take a completely different look because what we are
doing is not working; we need to look at the whole attitude of
treating addiction."

But it's not just the user who is affected. Families are destroyed
and innocent people are robbed so addicts can feed their habits - a
routine observation by police when they are analyzing crime statistics.

Our jails are also full of people struggling with drug addiction. A
survey conducted by Profiles of Bermuda four years ago showed six in
ten repeat offenders admitting committing crimes while they were high.

Mr. DeVent said: "In addiction and treatment the definition of
insanity is continuing the same behaviour and expecting different
results. That said, maybe we as a society are insane."

Mr. DeVent attempted to start a national discussion last year but
there was very little buy-in. Government wouldn't entertain even the
thought of reclassifying drugs with the then Drugs Minister Wayne
Perinchief saying no one was interested.

But it appears the demand for drugs is growing, despite efforts by
the Department of National Drug Control, which focuses on drug prevention.

We asked the agency to explain whether it thinks it is making any
significant progress in reducing the demand the drugs and if so, how
does it measure its success. Is there any tangible evidence?

We were told staff were working on a response yesterday but we hadn't
received it by press time.

One drug user we spoke to, a middle-aged man who is attending
counselling, said people turn to drugs to self-medicate, to numb
themselves so they don't have to deal with issues that they can't
find the answers to.

He said: "It's an emotional pain. Drug abuse is a feeling disease;
you don't want to feel that way so you get high. "All we can do is
pray and teach our youngsters to raise responsible children.

"Bermuda used to be place where your neighbourhood raised your
children if you weren't capable, but not any more. People are looking
out for themselves more now."

The drug trade is, of course, also driven by money. Bermuda is among
the wealthiest countries in the world per capita, which means there
is a lot of disposable income, as well as a lot of money to be made.

Mr. DeVent said: "It's a generalization but it would appear that more
affluent societies tend to use drugs more. "Affluent lifestyles
present certain pressures and stresses and some people might be using
drugs to self-medicate."

He continued: "People import drugs to Bermuda because it is one of
the most lucrative markets in the world; you can make a larger profit
on drugs in Bermuda than you can in most markets in the world."

But change will only come if there is the political will to deal with
it, instead of perpetuating what isn't working. The trouble with
politicians, says Mr. DeVent, is that they daren't say anything
because they are afraid they will be perceived as being soft on
drugs. But something has to give.

Mr. DeVent said: "We need to reassess where the money is going
fighting this war on drugs."