Survey of German Language Newspapers for 13 April 99

News in Brief

For CSU Day Of Reckoning Approaches

(Translator's comments: Writing in the 'Hannoversche Allgemeine'
(http://www.fr-aktuell.de) under the title "Heroin distribution leads
nowhere", Joerg Kallmeyer reports on the tightrope act of Herbert Hueppe,
CDU/CSU federal opposition spokesperson for drug policy. But the title
tells only part of the story. One should keep in mind that the coalition
government parties, SPD 41% + Greens 6.7% have to contend with an
uncomfortably large opposition party in the CDU/CSU: 35.2% + FDP 6.2% and
PDS 5.1%. The task facing Hueppe is to reconcile the various CSU factions,
some of whom are reluctant to change their hard line drug policy.

At month’s end, Herbert Hueppe, CDU/CSU federal opposition spokesperson for
drug policy, will meet with the (CS)Union experts to hammer out a policy on
drugs and drug addiction.

This should be a routine matter, but "We are in a genuine orientation
phase," Hueppe said. Since the CDU leaders, Hermann Kues and Christian
Wulff, spoke out last weekend in support of 'fixing rooms' and state
regulated heroin distribution, the (CS)Union has retired behind its hard
line drug policy barricades. Referring to Wulff's publicly stated support
last weekend for a more liberal drug policy, Hueppe said he was capable of
implementing it, but "One should not forget what kind of reaction such a
suggestion is likely to unleash."

One possible consequence might be that the Union would lose its voice as
the only party to demand abstinence and the continuation of the hard line
law enforcement approach. "If anyone can convince me that heroin
distribution under the doctors' supervision will bring about a reduction in
drug deaths, I would be the last to raise an objection," he said. "But the
Hamburg figures show an increase in the number of mortalities from the
controlled distribution of methadone. I agree we should be open to fresh
ideas but I would like to have guarantees. If we are going to lay out 35
million Marks for heroin distribution and only 13 million for drug
education, then we are using a false yard stick. Under no circumstances
should such experiments come at the cost of available therapy measures."

Hueppe might have the majority with him. The Bayern and Baden-Wuertemberg
factions are signaling no change, whilst their counterparts in large towns
such as Frankfurt and Hannover are in favor of 'fixing rooms'. "The debate
cannot be avoided whether out of party political reasons or ideological
reasons," said Hueppe. And he closes with a step towards those who favor
change: "We can no longer rely primarily on a law and order approach to
drug policy," he said, "but on one based on health considerations."