UNITED NATIONS COULD HELP FIGHT DRUGS WAR, SAY COMRIE

The Victoria Police Chief Commissioner, Mr Neil Comrie, yesterday confirmed
his support for a heroin trial but said international action was needed to
counter the drug problem.

Mr Comrie said organisations such as the United Nations needed to act to
stem the flow of heroin. He suggested destroying drug crops or employing a
``military solution'' against countries that grow the crops.

``I can't believe that we can spend billions of dollars each year through
international organisations such as the UN on military solutions, like
Kosovo, and yet we don't seem to have come to grips with dealing with the
source of the (drug) problem,'' he said.

Mr Comrie said chemical sprays and specially bred insects could be used in
the war on drugs.

``This may sound a little odd, and I haven't lost my marbles, but the CSIRO
can come up with all sorts beings or creatures that can destroy crops ...

``It may be that spraying the crops with some chemical substance might
eradicate them, but other means may involve the UN gathering enough
resources to actually buy the crops and then destroy them before they're
distributed,'' he said.

Mr Comrie said he was not a ``salesperson'' for heroin trials but that he
was compelled to consider the option after a family friend died early last
year. Mr Comrie said the 22-year-old man was ``not a deadbeat, he was not a
drug addict, he was a decent young man from a decent family and these are
the sort of people who are dying from heroin overdoses''.

The Premier, Mr Jeff Kennett, yesterday repeated his support for a national
heroin trial and said he would raise it at the next Premiers' conference, in
April or May.

The Opposition Leader, Mr John Brumby, however, accused him of ``moving at
tortoise pace''.

Meanwhile, the New South Wales Labor Premier, Mr Bob Carr, wants to meet Mr
Kennett to discuss the national drug problem after the NSW election on 27
March. Mr Carr said he wanted to talk to Mr Kennett to compare NSW's drug
policies, funding for rehabilitation and education programs with Victoria's.
He said he wanted to discuss greater cooperation between the ``two largest
states''.

Mr Carr is a long-time opponent of heroin trials but he said the subject
would be on the agenda.

``There will be a segment of the summit devoted to that issue (the heroin
trial) and people supporting it, people opposing it will have an opportunity
to express their view.''

Although Victorian leaders seem open to the idea of a heroin trial, the
Federal Government is not about to put in place such a radical program. The
man who heads the Prime Minister's National Council on Drugs, the Salvation
Army's Major Brian Watters, said yesterday he remained opposed to a heroin
trial for addicts. He said the Salvation Army believed it was more important
to devote resources to treatment and rehabilitation programs than to a
medically prescribed heroin trial.

``I think it's very sad that if the only answer we can give to young people
becoming addicted is to offer them the substance of their addiction; that's
a bit morally bankrupt isn't it?'' he said.

The federal Health Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge, said he did not believe
a heroin trial had enough support from all state and territory leaders.