FIFE SHOULD GO DUTCH ON DRUGS ISSUE

Levenmouth's MP believes drug laws should be relaxed and a more
tolerant approach - like that in Holland - should be adopted.

John MacDougall, MP for Glenrothes Constituency, reckoned bringing
drug users into the open, rather than dealing with them on the
sidelines, might show young people the drug lifestyle was far from
glamorous.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has appointed Mr MacDougall to a role as
link MP with Holland, with his main brief to find out how effective
Dutch policies on drug use were and the differences they'd made to
communities.

The MP said that, contrary to popular belief, drugs were not legal in
Holland although they were 'tolerated'.

"The approach by the authorities is one where a drug user is seen as a
person and not a problem. Many drug users want to quit, but as with
smoking addicts, they find it difficult. "The basis is police work
with the health service, churches and community groups to help the
users."

Mr MacDougall said the impact of the drug culture in local communities
was well known. Apart from the misery caused to individuals, families
were ripped apart.

"Schools and workplaces become targets for pushers. Crime rates and
anti-social behaviour can rise alarmingly. A huge amount of police
time is spent writing reports, attending court and responding to
incidents. The work of doctors, nurses and hospitals can be severely
affected," he said.

"I am fully aware of the issues they face on a day-to-day
basis.

"If we want to tackle seriously the problems of anti-social behaviour,
we must understand the causes.

"Surely we can learn from successful policies used elsewhere and avoid
tragedies such as the murders in Suffolk, where the victims were
almost certainly involved in drug misuse."

Mr MacDougall noted theft in Holland was down by about 30 per cent,
police had been freed up to allow time on the beat, and 'shooting
galleries' and syringes were rarely seen.

"Difficult circumstances are not resolved by simple solutions," he
added. "That's why we must not be driven by what we are against but
rather by what we are for. That kind of thinking can make a real
difference in our communities."

Heavy criticism was aimed recently at two hospitals in England which
adopted similar policies to Holland by medically supervising and
administering drugs to users.

"The reality is there was a large reduction in police and court time
wasted, a reduction in harm to users through dirty needles and reduced
crime and anti-social behaviour," said Mr MacDougall.

"I look forward to the conclusions of the trial in these hospitals.
They are likely to challenge many of the taboos surrounding how
society treats the drug issue."

Mr MacDougall added: "My colleagues in Holland expect cocaine and
heroin will have disappeared from the scene in the near future.

"There is a real prospect of making a difference to our communities if
we act now.

'There is no magic wand, but I hope my remit in Parliament will assist
in bringing possible answers to these complex problems that afflict a
number of areas in my constituency."