DRUG SUMMIT LOOKS AT PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

DRUG experts will attempt to change the focus of the drug control
debate to early intervention and preventative education at a national
drug summit beginning tomorrow in Sydney.

Australian Drug Summit 2000, spearheaded by the Salvation Army, will
canvass a more conservative drug control approach than the safe
injecting room option of last year's NSW drug forum. Salvation Army
Drug rehabilitation services commander and summit organiser Major
Brian Watters said early intervention was an effective form of drug
control.

"We hope to highlight the possibility of reducing the number of people
beginning to use drugs through preventative education," he said.

"I would hope that we resolve to empathise and encourage government to
put more resources into spreading the message ... giving kids good
reasons to say no."

He said most people at the conference were opposed to soft approaches
to drugs (such as safe injecting rooms), but hit back at accusations
from his opponents that the conference was "a plot".

"This is not about injecting rooms," he said. "One of the things that
troubles me is that too much of the debate gets hijacked and directed
towards things that are not of enormous consequence.

"Ultimately even (my) most vocal opponents ... (will say) the only way
we are going to reduce the number of people dying ... is to reduce the
number of people using drugs."

International guests include former Swedish MP Malou Lindholm, an
advocate of a restrictive drug policy, and vice president of DrugWatch
International Dr Jack Gilligan.

The summit follows last year's NSW government drug forum which
resulted in moves to establish Sydney's first legal safe injecting
room, and comes as a parliamentary inquiry into the impacts of legal
and illicit drug abuse begins in Canberra.

While state and federal government representatives will address the
conference, this year's summit has been organised by a community
coalition including the Salvation Army, the Anglican and Catholic
Churches, and the NSW RSL.

Major Watters, Chairman of the Australian National Council on Drugs,
said worthwhile resolutions arising from the conference might be put
to the Prime Minister John Howard.

The summit will be held at NSW Parliament House from June 13 to 15.