FORESTRY SEMINARS LOOK AT DRUG USE

Drug dependency in the forestry industry will be highlighted at a series of
seminars in October aimed at stemming the growing use of illegal substances.

A drug and alcohol tool kit, compiled in consultation with Environmental
Scientific Research scientists, will be introduced at the seminars to enable
testing, counselling and rehabilitation of at-risk workers.

The seminars are an initiative of the Forestry Owners Association and
Forestry Industry Council to tackle the increasing numbers of worker smoking
cannabis on the job.

Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton has enlisted the support of forestry
employers such as Gisborne consultants P F Olsen and Company to develop
plans to look at the problem.

Olsen chief executive Peter Clark, who is the association's health and
safety training committee chairman, said this latest proposal was separate
from the regional taskforce pilot programme that Mr Anderton had encouraged
in his role as economic development minister.

Everyone was welcome to attend the evening to be held near New Zealand's
main commercial forestry blocks, Mr Clark said.

Mr Anderton said statistics from a Labour Department Forestry Bulletin that
showed 27 per cent of workers used cannabis at work within the 12-month
period before the survey was undertaken last year illustrated how widespread
the problem was.

It had the potential to affect long-term investment in the industry.
"Forestry is the most important economic development we've got [and] to lose
the capacity and investment to things like this [cannabis use] is
ludicrous."

Andrew Little, national secretary of the Engineers Printing and
Manufacturing Union which represents forestry workers, said the problem was
rapidly spreading beyond the industry to the communities where the forestry
workers lived.

The union condemned the use of drugs as "completely unacceptable" and was
continued to develop rules and procedures to deal with the problem.