CABRAMATTA'S ONLY HOPE

Around the time of the two World Wars, Cabramatta was a sleepy little
place, with the meandering Georges River snaking past quiet streets
where everyone knew everyone else.

Today, it's an exciting, lively crossroads for the confluence of a vast
array of different cultures.

The only shadow is cast by the big business of drugs - anyone getting
off the train at the station is approached in the first few minutes to
be offered their poison.

Nowhere else is it so blatantly obvious that current strategies on drugs
are simply not working.

We must start thinking more laterally. Prohibition hasn't worked, so we
need to try regulation, stamping out the pushers' black market with
supplies on prescription, controlled injecting rooms and treatment made
available for all addicts.

Only then will we start winning the war on drugs - and stand any chance
of reclaiming Cabramatta.