PM ENLISTS FAMILIES TO FIGHT DRUG WAR

PRIME Minister John Howard is to write directly to parents in a big
national mailout to enlist their help in the war against drugs.

The letter, part of a $25 million anti-drugs campaign, will push the
message that no one is immune from the problems of children taking drugs.
It will include hard-hitting television advertisements. Mr Howard said the
mailout, including booklets, would be posted tomorrow, when the initiative
is launched officially in Sydney.

The message to parents would be to talk to their children and understand it
could happen to them.

Mr Howard said some images in the campaign would be disturbing.

"Some of the ads will be quite confronting and they should be," he said. "I
believe in confronting ads on these issues."

The booklet advises parents on discussing drugs with their children. It
tells them to remain calm if a child admits to experimenting with drugs, to
be honest and set clear behaviour boundaries and to advise their children
to avoid a situation that could expose them to drugs.The campaign, Our
Strongest Defence Against the Drug Problem - Families, is expected to
stress the role that strong, nurturing families play in preventing children
from succumbing to drug addiction.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government's top drug advisory committee has cleared
the way for the public subsidy of a new heroin addiction treatment drug.

Buprenorphine hydrochloride combines the qualities of methadone and
naltrexone, two other drugs used in addict rehabilitation.Like methadone,
it is mildly intoxicating but attaches so strongly to the opiate receptors
in an addict's brain that it prevents other drugs from taking effect. This
opiate-blocker effect is similar to that of naltrexone.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Michael Wooldridge said no decision had
been made on whether the drug would be subsidised.

Negotiations were under way between the Pharmaceutical Benefits Pricing
Authority and the drug's manufacturer, Reckitt Benckiser, over its supply
price.

A Reckitt Benckiser spokeswoman said the company had been told yesterday
the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee had given it the green light.

It is understood Dr Wooldridge is considering funding buprenorphine in the
same way as methadone, which is paid for by the Federal Government but not
included on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme with other medicines.

Allan Quigley, director of clinical services and research at Next Step
(formerly the WA Drug and Alcohol Authority), said buprenorphine was
suitable especially for addicts in their first stage of treatment.

It eased withdrawal symptoms so they could be detoxified gradually over a
few days or a week. And they were less likely to overdose if they relapsed
and injected other opiates.

State drug strategy ministers have been pushing for fast registration of
buprenorphine since at least July.