Swiss Voters Back Gov't Drug Policy

Balz Bruppacher / Associated Press

BERN, Switzerland (AP) Swiss voters on Sunday overwhelmingly endorsed
their government's liberal drug policies, including the controversial
but seemingly successful state distribution of heroin to hardened addicts.

By a much bigger margin than predicted, nearly 71 percent of voters 1.3
million people threw out the proposal "Youth Without Drugs," which would
have curtailed government programs for drug users.

Only 29 percent, or 546,000 voters, were in favor. Turnout was just 40
percent.

The health ministry immediately announced that it would try to put state
distribution of heroin to hardened addicts on a permanent legal footing.

"We will propose a change in the narcotics legislation to the cabinet as
soon as possible," Health Ministry director Thomas Zeltner told Swiss radio.

Until now, the state was supplying about 1,100 hardened addicts with heroin
on an experimental basis.

Results of a threeyear study released in July showed a big drop in crime
among the junkies on the program; a huge improvement in their health; an
increase in the number of those with steady housing and jobs; and promising
signs that some would try to kick the habit.

It is likely that the government will now expand the number of addicts
eligible for heroin, which is given out at authorized medical centers by
registered doctors.

There are an estimated 30,000 addicts in Switzerland one of the highest
rates in Europe. But unlike many countries, the death toll is falling.

>From a peak of 399 in 1994, drugrelated deaths fell to 312 last year, and
are expected to slump further this year. Supporters say this is largely due
to the success of government policies.

In 1995, authorities closed a notorious open drug scene in Zurich. But the
police clampdown was accompanied by an increase in locallevel arrangements
for addicts, including more provision of the heroin substitute methadone.

Free needleexchange programs to prevent the spread of the AIDS virus among
injecting junkies are routine.

Monika Stocker, head of welfare services in Zurich, which took the lead in
the experiments, said the result of the vote should give other countries
courage to follow the Swiss example.

The Dutch parliament Thursday authorized heroin distribution to 50 addicts.
German cities like Frankfurt and Hamburg would like to do the same but are
held back by the conservative government. Nations as far away as Australia
also are interested.

The Swiss vote will send a positive message to the United States and the
rest of the world about more tolerant drug policy, said Ethan Nadelmann,
director of the Lindesmith Center, a New Yorkbased drug policy research
institute. He said he was very excited about the vote.

There was no immediate comment from the U.N. International Drug Control
Program, which frowns upon the Swiss policies. It views all drugs as
illegal and feels their use should be punished.

Critics of the policy vowed to continue the fight. Hans Fehr, a rightwing
lawmaker, blamed the size of the defeat on "the propaganda blitz by the
government and media."

The "Youth Without Drugs" initiative was drafted mainly by conservative
groups who collected the necessary 100,000 signatures to force a referendum
under Swiss direct democracy.

Condemning Switzerland as the "drug island of Europe," advocates of the
initiative argued that the liberal approach encouraged young people to
experiment with narcotics and get hooked.

If the initiative had passed Sunday, it would have forced an end to all
heroin and methadone programs and cut statebacked counseling programs for
addicts.

Many health experts said this would have been a disaster, leading to a
renewed rise in crime and death.

The government urged voters to reject the proposed clampdown, saying it was
"unrealistic, unsuitable and ineffective."

Mainstream church groups, trade unions, police representatives and the
majority of medical and youth workers backed the government.

Voters in cities like Zurich, Geneva and Basel gave the strongest backing
to a continuation in existing policies. But even in Switzerland's
conservative rural heartland there was a clear majority against a clampdown.

Prior to the referendum, most experts had predicted only a slight majority
against the restrictions.