EX-DRUG USERS MAY BE ALLOWED IN MILITARY

Former drug users may be allowed into the military under a plan
flagged by Defence Minister Brendan Nelson and backed by defence groups.

Dr Nelson has proposed relaxing rules governing entry to the defence
forces which would allow former users of recreational drugs such as
cannabis to join-up.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) fell short of its recruitment
target last year and on current trends the military could shrink over
coming years.

A spokesman for Dr Nelson said about 40 per cent of people in the
general community admitted to using drugs at some time in their lives.

"We are still saying zero tolerance, not negotiable, once you join,"
the spokesman said.

"But the minister is raising the question - should it knock people
out if they have experimented in the past?"

The spokesman said Dr Nelson was also raising the possibility of
people with conditions such as asthma and obesity being allowed to join.

While the health conditions could limit what roles they could take up
in the ADF, there was a wide enough variety of roles in the military
to suit a range of people, he said.

"We should be mature enough for the debate to go ahead," the spokesman said.

The plan came as new figures showed 24 ADF personnel face
disciplinary action after random drug tests last year.

The worst offenders were army recruits.

Australia Defence Association spokesman Neil James said the results
showed the ADF's drug testing policy worked.

"This in effect shows the policy works and is sensible, particularly
when you compared them against other industries that have random drug
testing such as mining, aviation and emergency services," Mr James told AAP.

"There is nothing out of the norm."

Mr James said the ADF should be able to consider recruiting former
drug users, but the tough drugs policy should stand.

"If you have been a young idiot that doesn't necessarily excuse you
from military service but if you continue to be an idiot it does," he said.

"When you use explosives and heavy machinery and helicopters and
things like that you can't have anyone using mind-altering substances
- - it's just an absurdity."

RSL national president Major-General Bill Crews said the military had
a strong policy for managing and testing drug use and anyone likely
to be an ongoing problem should not remain in the ADF.

But he said the minister's suggestion for recruitment was valuable.

"There is obviously some risk in that but it might be a risk worth
taking if there is a good regime in the services that detects drug
users," he told AAP.

"Defence is competing in a very tight labour market so you've got to
be a bit more expansive about what sort of people who might otherwise
be excluded who would make good service men and women."