DRUG FIGHT OUTDATED: MARGETTS

The Coalition Government's $75 million Tough on Drugs strategy, announced
recently, was misguided and failed to understand or solve Australia's
growing drug problem, Greens Senator Dee Margetts said.

Prime Minister John Howard announced the strategy, comprising $50 million
for a three-year national crime information system, Crim Trac, a national
paedophile data base, $21 million for a three-year safe-communities
program, and $1 million to extend the young offenders' program.

Mr Howard's policy was shallow and insincere, and concentrated on chasing
media headlines while ignoring the causes of most drug deaths, she said.

"Mr Howard has missed a historic opportunity to fix Australia's rapidly
growing drug problem by showering millions of dollars on an ill-informed
and narrow campaign to fight illicit drugs," she said.

He and his advisers had ignored the fact that 80 times as many Australians
died of the effects of legal drugs - 20,000 from tobacco-related illnesses
and 4000 from abuse of alcohol.

The Coalition's zero-tolerance drug campaign was out of date and narrowly
focused on getting drug users to abstain.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski