CALL TO FILL THE GAPS IN DRUGS RESEARCH

THE Victorian Government is convening a meeting of the world's leading
experts on drug use to examine links between cannabis and psychiatric
illness.

A link between cannabis use and mental disorders has been debated for years
but doctors say there is very little recent research on the effects of
cannabis.

The conference, to be held at the Hilton Hotel next February, will be
attended by a wide range of experts such as drug specialists, doctors,
psychiatrists, sociologists and psychologists. About 450 delegates are
expected to attend.

The conference is the result of the Premier's Drug Advisory Council
inquiry, chaired last year by Professor David Penington. It is one of
several initiatives from the inquiry.

The Health Minister, Mr Rob Knowles, said the conference would "try and
bring together all of the people who have looked at the issue of marijuana
and its impact on mental illness.

"There's a strongly held belief that use of cannabis can in fact exacerbate
the onset of mental illness. And while there has been research, I
understand there's no conclusive research," Mr Knowles said.

"What we hope the conference will do is increase community understanding
and provide up to date information on cannabis use and mental illness," Mr
Knowles said.

The conference will cost about $200,000.

According to Mr Knowles the Government has committed more than $70 million
to implement the recommendations from the Premier's Drug Advisory Council
inquiry.

"We are working on all the recommendations. The only ones that the
Government didn't accept were the ones relating to the legalisation of
marijuana use, or the decriminalisation of it," he said.

Three months ago Mr Knowles announced the Government would fund two studies
of cannabis use and the incidence of psychosis in young people. A third
Melbourne study will investigate how cannabis links to receptors in the
brain.

Mr Knowles said the Government was also considering a cinema advertising
campaign early next year warning young people about the dangers of all
drugs.

When the Premier's Drug Advisory Council reported to State Parliament last
April it made many recommendations on how to curb the trade and use of
illicit drugs. The council's key recommendations included:

Use and possession of small quantities of marijuana up to 25 grams
should not be an offence.

Cultivation of up to five plants per household for personal use should be
permitted.

Drug education should be included in the health curriculum of Victorian schools.

The consumption of marijuana in public places should be regulated.

The recommendation to decriminalise the use of marijuana became the focus
of community reaction to the report. But soon after the report, the
Government rejected the controversial recommendation.

The Victorian Cabinet rejected the recommendation because it feared the
change might attract more trade in drugs and weaken the taboos on harder
drugs such as heroin. It also said there was a lack of evidence that
decriminalisation would lead to less use of harder drugs.

At the time the Premier, Mr Jeff Kennett, said: "The Coalition and I came
to the view that we could not accept that recommendation."

"It is better to hasten slowly in an area like this and, hopefully, get it
right, than take a blind leap into the dark," he said.