TAXPAYERS SHOULD HAVE SAY ON DRUGS

I OBJECT to the misrepresentation of my public advertisement as a
"popularity poll" by B. McConnell, the president of Families and Friends for
Drug Law Reform (Letters, May 8).

My ad said I would give $1000 to the Chief Minister's favourite charity if
she conducted "an independent poll which shows a majority of ACT residents
approve shooting galleries and heroin trials".

By a majority I mean 51 per cent or more.

The public record shows the heroin trial has twice been taken to the
Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (shooting galleries once) without
Cabinet, Assembly or, most importantly, community approval.

Mr McConnell and his organisation support the principle of taxpayer-funded
referendums and polls in Switzerland to determine if heroin distribution
should occur/continue, etc, so why object to ACT taxpayers having the
democratic right to have their say on this extremely sensitive issue?

C. A. PARRETT
Convener,
Make Illicit Drugs Socially Unacceptable