MP DRUG CLAIM SHOCKS SENATE

JUSTICE Minister Amanda Vanstone suggested yesterday Australian
Democrats deputy leader Natasha Stott Despoja encouraged illegal drug
use.

In a parliamentary attack that stunned some of her coalition
colleagues, Senator Vanstone virtually accused the senator of
condoning recreational drug use.

"It's time for Senator Stott Despoja to fess up," Senator Vanstone
said.

But Senator Stott Despoja hit back, saying Senator Vanstone was
twisting her words and undermining efforts to educate young people
about the dangers of drugs.

"Why she is doing this, I just don't know," said the senator, a
non-drug user.

The row flared after Senator Vanstone seized on comments by Senator
Stott Despoja at a conference last week.

She told the Canberra conference young people "enjoyed recreational
experiences on illegal drugs ... drugs are often celebrated in youth
culture".

Senator Vanstone said in Federal Parliament yesterday: "I invite her
to say whether she endorses the recreational use of illegal drugs.

"If so, which ones, how often and how much?"

Senator Stott Despoja said her comments were simply intended to
illustrate the breadth of the problem facing drug educators.

"I challenged the media in reporting my speech to present this in a
non-sensational way and they all did," she said.

"The only person who was not there and had no interest in the debate
not only read my remarks out of context, but did great harm to this
cross-party debate."

Stott Despoja has repeatedly attacked the government's Tough on Drugs
strategy as being too much in favor of law enforcement.

"I support a harm minimisation strategy and that means recognising
sometimes we have to treat drug addiction as a medical and social
issue, not always a criminal issue," she said.

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre information manager Paul
Dillon, who attended last week's conference, said he was alarmed by
Senator Vanstone's outburst.

"Senator Stott Despoja was acknowledging exactly why young people use
drugs," Mr Dillon said.

"In no way was she condoning drug use. If we don't acknowledge the
problem then it's very very difficult to attack it."

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady