PREMIER PRODS PM OVER DRUG WAR PLAN

BATTLELINES are being drawn ahead of Friday's premiers conference on drugs
with Peter Beattie accusing John Howard of failing to adopt a national
approach to combat Australia's heroin problem.

Yesterday's attack on the Prime Minister by the Queensland Premier came on
the eve of Mr Beattie's Cabinet being briefed by drugs authority David
Pennington, and as federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley planned today's
release in Perth of a discussion paper on drugs which proposes the
establishment of a national co-ordination unit to oversee drug spending and
treatment.

It is understood the Opposition paper will also propose removing the right
of drug suspects to remain silent under questioning and establishing a
lesser standard of proof for confiscating drug assets. It is being released
as part of the ALP's policy development in the lead-up to the next election.

Professor Pennington is in Brisbane to help the Queensland Government
fine-tune its own drugs strategy. Queensland will pitch its ideas to other
State leaders at the Canberra conference on Friday.

But Mr Beattie claimed Mr Howard was not listening to State and Territory
leaders on the drugs debate.

He said Canberra had ignored State-based programs to treat addicts when it
allocated $20 million over three years to federal programs.

Mr Beattie, who opposes a heroin trial in Queensland but supports the
rights of States to go ahead with the option, has suggested his State adopt
a trial of buprenorphine, a mild opiate which reduces heroin withdrawal
symptoms.