PM UNCONVINCED ABOUT LEGALISING DRUGS

Decriminalising drugs had made the Netherlands the drug capital of Europe
so such a policy should be rejected, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

The NSW drug summit will today consider whether to decriminalise marijuana
and legalise shooting galleries.

Howard said an article in last weekend's Australian Financial Review
detailed how the Netherlands had become Europe's drug capital as a result
of its decriminalisation policy.

"I remain to be convinced that that reduces drug use," he told Radio 3AW in
Melbourne.

"What is the purpose of this whole debate? The purpose of the whole debate
is to reduce addiction and save lives and those two things are interrelated
... and also to eliminate the knock-on consequences and that is the robbery
and violence done to other people.

"You have to keep asking yourself, do all of these things encourage addicts
to give up and save lives and I'm not convinced that they will.

"It seems to me as though people are seeing a change as an end in itself."

Drug expert Professor David Penington has argued that decriminalising
marijuana broke the nexus with drug dealers and therefore more dangerous
illicit drugs.

"I don't think that has been the experience in Europe," Howard said.

He said Australia had lacked treatment facilities and everyone agreed
rehabilitation and treatment were needed, so the government was boosting
funding for these programs.