BULLY POLL'S 'STARTLING' REVELATIONS

A CONTROVERSIAL Gold Coast Bulletin crime and punishment survey has
indicated more than 30 per cent of the city's residents have been
approached by drug pushers and 40 per cent of respondents have smoked
marijuana.

Almost 1500 readers responded to the extensive two-page survey, which was
published last month.

Nine per cent of those polled said they had taken hard drugs such as
ecstasy, LSD and amphetamines, 7 per cent said they had taken cocaine and 3
per cent admitted to using heroin.

A Drug Arm spokesman described the results of The Bulletin survey as
'pretty startling'.

"You have to think about what kind of availability is out there if that
many people have tried such a range of drugs," he said.

However, Gold Coast Drug Council president Sean Cousins said he was 'sadly
not surprised' by the results.

Mr Cousins said drugs were rampant on the Coast and more and more
youngsters, some as young as 10, were experimenting and becoming hooked.

"Drugs are open slather here," he said.

"Because of its leisure and tourism-oriented lifestyle, the Coast is far
more vulnerable to drugs than most places in the country.

"The tragedy is that young people are growing up in a city in which a drug
culture is becoming more entrenched."

He said the Coast's lifestyle appealed to two main types of people who were
also attracted to drugs.

"You have the laid-back surfie types who get into the dope and speed and
the high-fliers who like to live in the fast lane and experiment with party
drugs," he said.

"But there's an increasing number of young kids who are dabbling with
drugs. They start with marijuana, then get into speed and then move onto
the harder stuff.

"Many young people think getting high for a couple of hours every weekend
is cool but they are so wrong. The potential damage to their physical and
mental health cannot be overstated.

"People don't understand how easily it is to become hooked."

He said that, although the Coast had a serious drug problem, it could be
contained and even reduced through increased education and law enforcement.

However, there was a lack of resources for both, he said.

"We can never throw our hands up in the air and say 'the drug pushers have
won'," he said.

"We have to be more vigilant and we have to be more pro-active but a lack
of resources makes it tough. "Still, we can't just give up. We have to keep
chipping away at the problem or it will only grow worse."

Thirty-nine per cent of those sampled said the Drug Courts introduced to
Queensland last year were proving effective. Mr Cousins agreed.

"If you can get hold of 19-year-olds just as they're developing their drug
problems and assist them with rehabilitation, it's going to be far more
effective than waiting until they're 26 when they've become hardened
criminals and are going to jail for the third time."

Mr Cousins said marijuana and amphetamines, not heroin, were the most
prevalent drugs on the Coast.

Fifty-seven per cent of readers sampled in The Bulletin survey were against
the legalisation of marijuana.

The Bulletin survey revealed people wanted tougher action taken against
drug dealers and users.

Fifty per cent of those sampled said harsher sentences for drug dealers
would be very effective.

Thirty nine per cent of those sampled also considered that mandatory
sentencing would be a good way to help control drug use.

CRIME & PUNISHMENT SURVEY

What is your position on MARIJUANA LEGALISATION?
Agree 35%
Disagree 57%
Don't know 8%
Total 100%

What is your position on TESTING OF DRIVERS INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS?
Agree 95%
Disagree 4%
Don't know 1%
Total 100%

What is your position on NEEDLE BINS AT BEACHES?
Agree 53%
Disagree 39%
Don't know 8%
Total 100%

Have you ever been approached by a drug dealer?
Agree 30%
Disagree 70%
Total 100%

How effective do you think STRICTER MARIJUANA LAWS are as a method of
controlling drug use?
Not effective 47%
Fairly effective 24%
Very effective 23%
N/A 6%
Total 100%

How effective do you think LOOSER MARIJUANA LAWS are as a method of
controlling drug use?
Not effective 60%
Fairly effective 16%
Very effective 15%
N/A 9%
Total 100%

How effective do you think VIDEO SURVEILLANCE IN PUBLIC PLACES is as a
method of controlling drug use?
Not effective 14%
Fairly effective 33%
Very effective 50%
N/A 3%
Total 100%

How effective do you think SPECIALISED DRUG COURTS are as a method of
controlling drug use?
Not effective 21%
Fairly effective 33%
Very effective 39%
N/A 7%
Total 100%

How effective do you think DRUG EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS is a method of
controlling drug use?
Not effective 32%
Fairly effective 47%
Very effective 15%
N/A 6%
Total 100%

How effective do you think FUNDS FOR DETOX PROGRAMS are as a method of
controlling drug use?
Not effective 43%
Fairly effective 39%
Very effective 12%
N/A 6%
Total 100%

How effective do you think TOUGHER SENTENCES FOR DRUG DEALERS are as a
method of controlling drug use?
Not effective 31%
Fairly effective 17%
Very effective 50%
N/A 2%
Total 100%

How effective do you think TOUGHER SENTENCES FOR DRUG USERS are as a method
of controlling drug use?
Not effective 40%
Fairly effective 25%
Very effective 31%
N/A 4%
Total 100%

How effective do you think HELPLINES/COUNSELLING are as a method of
controlling drug use?
Not effective 26%
Fairly effective 51%
Very effective 19%
N/A 4%
Total 100%

How effective do you think MANDATORY SENTENCING is as a method of
controlling drug use?
Not effective 28%
Fairly effective 28%
Very effective 39%
N/A 5%
Total 100%

How effective do you think COMMUNITY BASED SOLUTIONS are as a method of
controlling drug use?
Not effective 44%
Fairly effective 36%
Very effective 14%
N/A 6%
Total 100%

Have you ever been offered or tried MARIJUANA?
Been offered but refused 16%
Have tried 40%
N/A 44%
Total 100%

Have you ever been offered or tried COCAINE?
Been offered but refused 11%
Have tried 7%
N/A 82%
Total 100%

Have you ever been offered or tried ECSTASY?
Been offered but refused 11%
Have tried 9%
N/A 80%
Total 100%

Have you ever been offered or tried LSD?
Been offered but refused 9%
Have tried 9%
N/A 82%
Total 100%

Have you ever been offered or tried AMPHETAMINES?
Been offered but refused 11%
Have tried 9%
N/A 80%
Total 100%

Have you ever been offered or tried HEROIN?
Been offered but refused 11%
Have tried 3%
N/A 86%
Total 100%