DRUGS COST AUSTRALIA A$18 BLN, KILL ONE IN FIVE

CANBERRA, March 18 (Reuters) - Drug use including alcohol and tobacco
costs Australia more than A$18 billion (US$11.34 billion) a year in
treatment, crime and law enforcement and is responsible for up to one
death in five, a report released on Thursday said.

Almost nine percent of that cost, or A$1.68 billion, came from illegal
drugs like heroin and cocaine.

Such drugs also cause about three percent of all preventable deaths
among Australians, the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence's
1997/98 Illicit Drug Report said.

"The human cost of drugs on our community cannot be overstated.
Illicit drugs...can exact an enormous toll on the family, friends and
loved ones of users," Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone told reporters.

Alcohol and tobacco were also included among drugs represented in the
study, which covered the period from July 1997 to June 1998.

Smoking is the primary cause of premature and preventable death and
disease in Australia and is responsible for 80 percent of all
drug-related deaths, the report said.

It said alcohol was second to tobacco as a preventable cause of death
and hospitalisation. Alcohol caused 16 percent of preventable deaths,
it said.

The report found the price of a "cap" of heroin had remained stable in
recent years at between A$30 and A$50. However, the average age of
first-time users had declined over the past three decades from 26 to
17 at the time of the report.

In 1997/98, almost 300 kg (660 lb) of heroin was seized
Australia-wide, with 138 kg (304 lb) of that total detected by customs
officials as it entered the country.

A total of 103 kg (227 lb) of cocaine was seized in the year, and
customs detected 31 kg (68 lb) of ecstasy.

Prime Minister John Howard, who has been under pressure to consider
alternative strategies in the battle against drugs such as heroin, on
Thursday announced a A$20 million boost to drug rehabilitation funding.

The money would go to community based treatment and support services
and was part of the government's A$290 million commitment to its
"Tough on Drugs" plan, he said.

(A$1 US$0.63)