PREMIER BACKFLIP ON MARIJUANA

DECRIMINALISING marijuana would be "absolutely wrong" and would lead
to an increase in psychosis and depression, Jeff Kennett said yesterday.

The Premier, who once supported such a move, was reacting to Labor's
newly released drugs policy, which promises to decriminalise small
amounts of the drug.

"I'm quite convinced now that to decriminalise marijuana, as Labor are
proposing, in small doses, is absolutely wrong and sends out the wrong
message," he said.

"It would lead to one of two things: a rise in the level of psychosis
in many people, as well as an introduction to harder drugs, and would
lead to greater depression among people."

Mr Kennett also raised the possibility of legislation to set up a
trial safe-injecting room for heroin as early as next month.

"I've got officers looking at it. If we can introduce legislation in
this session to set it up, if we believe that's the right way to go,
we will do it," he said.

His Government would only consider introducing one injecting room,
saying the five rooms proposed by Labor "legitimises it, not knowing
whether it works or not".

In 1996, Mr Kennett tried to persuade his partyroom to support him in
decriminalising marijuana. But despite Cabinet support for the move,
his MPs voted overwhelmingly against it.

Labor's revised drugs policy, released on Wednesday, supported the
Penington Report's recommendation to decriminalise small amounts of
cannabis in order to break the cycle between marijuana and harder
drugs such as heroin.