SOFTER LAWS FOR HARD DRUGS

PEOPLE caught with hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine, speed and
ecstasy will escape criminal conviction if they agree to
rehabilitation under radical national reforms to be introduced in the
new year.

Prime Minister John Howard will today announce details of a
diversionary programme that will waive con victions for offenders
caught with small quantities of drugs if they undergo treatment.

Under the plan, agreed to by all states and territories, offenders
will be required to sign binding contracts requiring them to keep to
the rehabilitation programme or go back to court.

Depending on the programme, some offenders will be required to take
urine tests as part of a close monitoring of their progress by court
officials and police.

Government sources say state police officers will play a key role in
determining the eligibility for the programme of offenders they arrest.

But the plan has already attracted criticism from civil libertarians
and police unions, who believe it fails to tackle drug addiction and
will subject officers to accusations of corruption.

The diversionary programme for hard drug users is an extension of
reforms announced by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie last month to
waive convictions for marijuana users who agree to treatment.

But Mr Beattie was forced to back down on the quantities users could
possess to be eligible for the programme, after he set the limit at
500g – 10 times the limit in other states.

Mr Howard is expected to announce today $110million in federal funding
for about 300,000 new treatment places over the next four years.

The reforms are part of Mr Howard's "tough on drugs" strategy, which
is intended to keep young first-time offenders out of jail while
targeting drug dealers with increased police enforcement, particularly
in "source countries".

A further $110million has been set aside for drug education in schools
and for other "related initiatives".

State and territory leaders are expected to meet in the next month to
determine the details of the plan, including the range of quantities
that will determine whether a per son is eligible for a rehabilitation
programme.

However, a senior Federal Government source said it was unlikely there
would be uniform limits, given the differing state and territory drug
laws.

Queensland Police Union president Gary Wilkinson said he feared
officers would be subjected to allegations of favouritism and corruption.

"The police officers are better qualified to make the recommendations
than anyone; they have the necessary appreciation of life on the
street, but they are not going to get it right every time," he said.

But Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman
yesterday dismissed the plan as unworkable and absurd.

He said governments needed to treat Australia's drug problem as a
health issue, not strictly a judicial one.