PRINCE: DRUG STRATEGIES ARE WORKING

THE State Government yesterday defended its strategies to tackle drug
abuse after a report revealed young West Australians used more hard
drugs than anyone else in the nation.

The 1998 National Drug Strategy household survey showed West
Australians in their 20s were the country's biggest users of heroin,
amphetamines and ecstasy.

They were also the nation's worst binge drinkers and second only to
people in the Northern Territory in marijuana use.

But the Minister for the Strategy Against Drug Abuse Kevin Prince
deflected criticism of the Government's performance in combating drug
problems.

He questioned the survey's findings which were based on interviews
with 207 West Australians aged between 20 and 29.

He said the sample was too small to be properly representative the
situation and the results were out of date.

Although the results were indicative of what the situation might have
been in 1998, a lot of work had been done since then. It was wrong to
draw the conclusion that drug abuse strategies were failing.

"It doesn't indicate the methods are failing at all. You can't draw
that conclusion. They are working.

"We are beginning to see a change."

He said the State Government came up with the first strategy against
drug abuse in 1997. This was revised last year.

"We have a significant commitment of money and indeed in this
financial year it goes up to over $50 million," he said.

"The State Government is very aware of the problems we face in WA and
has been aggressively addressing the problem for some years now."

He said the State Government was now addressing the reported increase
in amphetamine use and had a good record of drug seizures and arrests.

He conceded the survey was not something that should be ignored.

Opposition drug strategy spokesman Alan Carpenter said the State
Government strategies were failing and drug and alcohol use in WA was
high.

He said the mixture of punitive and educative strategies was not working.

"Their only approach is to get tough and it does not work," he said.

WA Substance Users Association manager Tamara Speed said the treatment
of drug use and abuse had to be multifaceted.