GET-TOUGH POLICY REJECTED BY EXPERT

Tough punishments did not work in the war against illicit drugs,
serving only to lower prices and increase availability, a United
States drug policy expert warned yesterday.

"There is a theoretical framework that explains why punishment ought
to raise prices, and the truth is we have certainly raised the
punishment, and prices have continued to fall," Professor Peter Reuter
told the summit.

Professor Reuter, a senior economist with the conservative Rand
Corporation think tank, is from the School of Public Affairs in the
Criminology Department at the University of Maryland. "This is a
matter of serious concern to those who would advocate toughness," he
said.

In the United States, drug epidemics - periods when new users were
frequently recruited - were long past, he said. The crack cocaine
epidemic ended 12 or 13 years ago, while the heroin epidemic, despite
a small resurgence now, was "practically history".

"Nonetheless, the history continues for a very long period of time and
we are living with problems of 25 to 30 years ago," he said. "There
are fewer occasional users of drugs.

"That change is not a consequence of decreased availability or higher
prices. It is very much as a result of a change in attitudes. Whether
enforcement is responsible for the changes in attitudes is something
one can argue about. I would say the evidence is mildly against."

Professor Reuter suggested there was little empirical evidence to
support the efficacy of any particular approach or drug policy.

Rather, reductions in drug use probably were driven more by the
natural course of an epidemic coming to an end.

"There has been very little systematic research about what works, in
particular about the effects of enforcement," Professor Reuter said.
"That being said, if you feel that the drug policy that is in place
has a reasonable, logical and factual basis, the mere observation that
problems are getting worse is no basis for making changes."