SCOTLAND GIVES GO-AHEAD TO US-STYLE "DRUG COURTS"

EDINBURGH: Scotland has given the go-ahead to a new initiative on Thursday
to introduce U.S.-style "drug courts" to tackle the country's epidemic of
drug-related crime.

The specialist courts proposed by the Scottish executive will offer drug
users treatment to help them kick the habit, rather than sending them to jail.

"The beauty of drug courts is that they bring enforcement and treatment
together in a way that can effectively remove drug users from a life of
criminality," deputy justice minister Iain Gray said on Thursday .

Operating at the lowest tiers of the criminal justice system, the courts
have had success in reducing drug problems in U.S. States such as California.

Previously all drug offenders in Scotland have been prosecuted in the full
criminal justice system.

The push is part of a three year $150 million package launched in September
to tackle Scotland's drug problem by breaking the cycle of drug abuse and
bringing offenders back into society.

Official figures suggest Scotland has 20,000 injecting drug users and
30,000 drug addicts, while a recent survey indicated that 70 per cent of
all crime committed in Scotland was related to drugs.

By taking drugs out of the equation, the executive is hoping to reduce
levels of petty crime.

Typically, U.S. Drug courts present a caught abuser with a choice , agree
to close monitoring by judges for a month, followed by an extended period
of random testing, or face the full force of the law.

Officials said the executive, which has control over domestic issues such
as policing, social and health policy following devolution from London in
1999, would now be sitting down with police and legal bodies to build up a
working model. Anti-drugs groups welcomed the move as a new approach to an
age-old problem.

"There has to be an element of congratulation for the Scottish executive,
to be brave enough to carry on with this innovation," said Alistair Ramsay
of Scotland against drugs.