DRUG CAMPAIGN TARGETS FAMILIES

Families will be the focus of the Federal Government's next big anti-drugs
blitz, to be launched in Sydney on Sunday by Prime Minister John Howard.

A key message of the $20 million campaign is: "Our strongest defence against
the drug problem - Families". The message will be included in a booklet to
be sent to every household.

Mr Howard will launch the campaign after a week in which drug issues
dominated the headlines. The Prime Minister was criticised for his overhaul
of the government's advisory panel and the Victorian Parliament had a joint
sitting to discuss drugs.

An independent panel of doctors and other experts called on the Federal
Government yesterday to spend an extra $746.4 million on drug prevention,
treatment programs, rehabilitation, education and research. The spending
should be funded by taxes on cigarettes and alcohol, the panel said.

Members of the Australian Medical Association-sponsored national drugs
"round table" said the Commonwealth would collect about $7 billion in
alcohol and tobacco taxes this year, but spend only about 1 per cent of that
on prevention and rehabilitation.

Kerryn Phelps, federal president of the AMA, said more funding would save
lives. "We can get tremendous improvements in outcomes with relatively
little increases in funding," she said.

The drugs panel, which comprised representatives of 16 drug and alcohol
groups, called for more tax on alcohol and cigarettes, but lower taxes on
low-alcohol drinks. It wanted a tax that is determined by a beverage's
alcohol content.

Although the panel did not discuss cannabis decriminalisation, drug
specialist Alex Wodak said he believed it should be decriminalised. The
cannabis industry was worth $5 billion a year, equivalent to the value of
the Australian gold industry, he said.

Although heroin overdose deaths had dropped significantly because of a
so-called "heroin drought", Dr Wodak said heroin users were turning to other
drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines and prescription drugs. The heroin
drought had been a "terribly wasted opportunity" because there were not
enough detox services, he said.

Drug and alcohol abuse kills 23,000 Australians each year. Tobacco is the
number one killer, followed by alcohol. Illicit drug deaths have soared in
recent years.

The drugs information booklet tells parents to:

Remain calm if a child admits to experimenting with drugs.

Be honest and set clear behavior boundaries;

Advise children to avoid a situation that could expose them to drugs.