VETTER WILL DROGENKRANKEN HEROIN GEBEN

VETTER WANTS TO GIVE HEROIN TO SICK ADDICTS

Precis: Another German politician has broken with his party's hard line on
(the war on) drugs policy and has come down decisively on the side of a
trial of the Swiss model of heroin distribution to hard core addicts. His
reasons are two-fold: on compassionate grounds, (it is not humane to lock
up sick people on ideological grounds); and because the Swiss model has
proved conclusively that it works; that it reduces significantly the social
harm caused by the hard line policy.

Scheidender CDU-Sozialminister fordert Modellversuch nach Schweizer Vorbild

The departing CDU Minister for Social Affairs asks for a trial model after
the Swiss example

Stuttgart Drug addicts who have failed to respond to other forms of therapy
should be able to obtain heroin from a doctor, in the opinion of Erwin
Vetter, the departing Minister for Social Affairs. With that he makes a
clean break with his party's hard line position."

I mustn't let these people down on ideological grounds," said Vetter at his
final press conference as Minister for Social Affairs, and asked for a
trial model after the Swiss example in which the distribution of heroin
under strict medical control would be tested. Up to this point there have
always been idelological obstacles - even in his own party. He felt sure,
however, that his successor, Fridhelm Repnik, would take up the discussion."

Pointing out the success achieved by the Swiss model, reduction in crime,
vagrancy, unemployment and improvements in the general health of the
participants, Vetter asked for a more unified drug policy under the
direction of an agency in which representatives of the police and concerned
authorities and institutions would participate.

"Drug politics are the concern of all Europe, not just of a little
Baden-Wurtembergisher island", he said.

He hopes that interested communities will be able to join the experiment as
soon as the new government - as announced - has laid down the legal
parameters.

Checked-by: Richard Lake