TOUGH STANCE ON DRUGS HASN'T WORKED

M Detotth says ''we should have more police and tougher treatment and
laws against pushers . . .'' (CT, May 16).

Does putting the drug user and/or pusher in jail eliminate the
problem? Does forcing a user into rehabilitation make an impact on the
drug scene?

It seems to me that the more money we plough into ''fixing'' the
problem, the bigger the problem becomes. Even when Justice Minister
Amanda Vanstone announces that heroin worth $7 million has been
intercepted by Customs, I don't feel relaxed. Nor do I feel confident
when Prime Minister John Howard announces he is going to spend
millions ''on the drug problem''.

The number of people using drugs and dying as a result is increasing,
despite these efforts.

As a parent of two teenagers, I would hope that if my children found
themselves with a drug problem (despite all my efforts to point them
away from that course) they would have a safe place to go, where they
would be in an environment that offered harm minimisation,
counselling, support and rehabilitation when they felt able to commit.

As a community, I believe we should care for everyone, no matter who
they are or what their problem is.

ANNEMAREE HIND
Kaleen