KENNETT FACES BACKBENCH DRUG REVOLT

VICTORIAN Premier Jeff Kennett faces growing backbench resistance to his
liberalised drug laws, with three MPs publicly denouncing the plan.

Many other MPs are furious that Mr Kennett did not consult his party before
announcing relaxed heroin and marijuana laws, and several yesterday vowed
to confront the Premier at the next partyroom meeting.

West Australian Premier Richard Court and NSW Premier Bob Carr strongly
rejected the Victorian experiment that lets first-time heroin offenders off
with a caution, with Mr Court also ruling out any softening of cannabis
laws.

Mr Court said his Government was not prepared to "go soft" on drugs.

"The reason why the Government has been strongly opposed to the
decriminalisation of marijuana is that we see it as a gateway drug," Mr
Court said.

"We are not going to move down a liberal path at a time when we have got so
many people that are dying of the curse. There are laws and they must be
complied with."

The NSW Government would not even consider a caution system for heroin
users, Mr Carr said. Asked if he would follow Mr Kennett's lead, he said:
"Not on heroin, no."

The cannabis scheme, however, was a "very sensible reform" and similar to
one blocked by conservatives in the NSW upper house last year.

A Queensland Government spokesman said Premier Peter Beattie would wait and
see how the Victorian "experiment" worked, before making a decision.

Denouncing the plan, Victorian government MPs Geoff Leigh, David Perrin and
Inga Peulich said liberalised drug laws were not an effective way to tackle
the problem.

Mr Perrin also voiced concern on the government backbench that Mr Kennett
had defied an overwhelming vote by MPs in 1996 against marijuana
decriminalisation.

"I am very concerned and very disturbed that this issue was not taken
before the partyroom," he said.

"It effectively sidesteps the partyroom. My colleagues have been raising
that with me today and I will be raising it in the partyroom."

Ms Peulich agreed, saying Liberal and National party MPs had agreed in 1996
there would be no relaxation of drug laws. "I am very disappointed this has
been announced without input from the parliamentary party."

But community groups and drug-law reform campaigners applauded the move.

The vice-president of the Australian Drug-Law Reform Foundation, Peter
Cleland, said he welcomed "anything that removes crime from the user".

Federation of Community Legal Centres spokesman Louis Schetzer said the
policy represented slow change in the right direction.

"The argument that the criminal law is an appropriate response as a
deterrent to drug-use is not born out by the massive increase in
drug-related deaths and overdoses."

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)