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News (Media Awareness Project) - Australia: Radical New Drug Plan
Title:Australia: Radical New Drug Plan
Published On:1998-07-07
Source:Age, The (Australia)
Fetched On:2008-09-07 06:42:57
RADICAL NEW DRUG PLAN

Victoria yesterday unveiled Australia's most progressive approach to
fighting illicit drug use, announcing a statewide caution scheme for
first-time cannabis users that is likely to be extended to heroin and other
hard drugs.

The cautions will apply from 1 September to offenders found with less than
50 grams of cannabis.

The chief commissioner of police, Mr Neil Comrie, and the Premier, Mr Jeff
Kennett, said a six-month trial in the Broadmeadows police district in
which first-time cannabis offenders were cautioned had been so successful
it would be extended to all districts.

Mr Comrie said the Government had approved a $600,000 pilot for a similar
cautioning system for other illicit drugs, including heroin.

The Drug Diversion Pilot would also begin on 1 September, in the
Broadmeadows district, and, if successful, the cautioning system for small
amounts of other illicit drugs was likely to be extended statewide.

Mr Comrie said the new policy did not mean police were going ``soft'' on
drugs but reflected the force's determination to increase pressure on
traffickers.

``There is a clear distinction between decriminalisation, which I remain
firmly against, and an approach which, in appropriate cases, offers
practical help and early treatment to low-level drug users,'' he said.

The cannabis pilot program had shown that young people who were cautioned
and given help were less likely to reoffend.

``I am absolutely convinced that the Drug Diversion Pilot will ultimately
save lives by keeping people away from the downward spiral of drug abuse
and criminal stigmatism,'' Mr Comrie said.

``It is not too dramatic to say that this trial project (the Drug Diversion
Pilot) and subsequent implementation will save lives.

``A substantial proportion of crime everywhere can be connected to the drug
trade and any efforts to break the cycle of drug abuse and its links to
crime will have far-reaching benefits for all Victorians.''

Mr Comrie said 245 people died from drug overdoses in Victoria last year
and there had been 170 drug overdose deaths this year, 78 per cent of which
were heroin-related.

Mr Kennett said the cost of the initiatives, funded from within existing
programs, including the Turning the Tide drug campaign, would be offset by
savings in court costs.

``I emphasise that this is a warning system only,'' Mr Kennett said. ``If
they continue to offend they will go to court.''

The extension of the cannabis cautioning program was widely applauded
yesterday by welfare and drug agencies.

If the cautioning system is eventually extended statewide for other illicit
drugs, this would represent a first for Australia. South Australia is the
only state that has decriminalised cannabis.

During the cannabis cautioning pilot program, only eight of the 97
offenders cautioned reoffended during the six-month trial period, and 93
per cent of officers surveyed said the procedure saved resources for more
serious matters.

The program applied only to people caught with less than 50 grams, with no
history of drug offences, and who admitted the offence and agreed to the
caution. There was a maximum of two cautions. The caution notice, which
could be issued on the spot or at a police station, included information
about a 24-hour help line.

The program for other illicit drugs will have stricter conditions.

Police must take offenders to a station and offenders will be required to
undergo mandatory drug assessment and treatment provided by recommended
agencies. If an offender fails to go to the agency, the matter will
automatically proceed to court.

Professor David Penington, who headed the Premier's Advisory Council on
Illicit Drugs, which recommended in 1996 decriminalising possession and
cultivation of small amounts of marijuana, yesterday congratulated police
on their ``substantial'' change in attitude.

``They've recognised that the (drug) problem hasn't been solved by simple
prohibition and that the problem has been getting worse, with more young
people especially getting involved in the heroin scene,'' Professor
Penington said.

Mr Bill Stronach, the chief executive of the Australian Drug Foundation, a
non-profit health promotion group, said it was a sensible approach that
would free up police resources.

A working party would decide the amount of other illicit drugs that would
be regarded as non-traffickable amounts and permitted under the Drug
Diversion Pilot.

The Opposition Leader, Mr John Brumby, endorsed the Government's
harm-minimisation approach, saying the Broadmeadows trial had been a
success, saving police and court time and giving drug users the opportunity
for counselling and rehabilitation.

``Tried across Victoria, I believe there would be annual savings that
actually run into the tens of millions of dollars,'' he said.

``The cost to the police and court system through trying and then judging
first-time marijuana users runs something between $25 million and $35
million a year. It's a huge cost.''

Mr Brumby supported the new trial for other drugs, including heroin, but
stressed that it needed to be backed by an increase in resources for
rehabilitation in treatment programs.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)
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