CROWDER SKEPTICAL OF CONSERVATIVE DRUG PLAN

Nanaimo-Cowichan MP Jean Crowder says she is skeptical of the
anti-drug strategy recently announced by the federal Conservatives.

The $63.8 million drug strategy promises a crack down on cross-border
drug smuggling, stiffer penalties for drug dealers.

More specifically, $32 million will be allocated for treatment of
drug users and $10 million will go toward a drug awareness campaign.

But Crowder, an NDP Oppostion member, said the plan is missing one
important factor in the war against crime - harm reduction.

"The problem with this plan is that it lacks details and they're not
supportive of the whole harm reduction issue," she said. "From the
studies I have seen the harm reduction is an important part of it."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper referred to the plan as a 'two-pronged
approach' to Canada's drug problems - focusing on drug prevention,
drug use in youth, treatment and cracking down on trafficking.

Harper said the government will also introduce mandatory sentencing
for people convicted of serious drug charges.

Conservative advocates, such as former MP Randy White, said harm
reduction measures such as safe-injection sites or needle-exchange
programs will receive less emphasis with effective enforcement and
prevention programs.

Crowder said statistics show one-third of people who use safe
injection sites go on to get treatment or additional help elsewhere.

She said she wants more details on how the plan proposes to deal with
enforcement, and hopes to see more money put into police outreach in schools.

"We need to expose people to treatment and prevention and to get them
into the health care system quicker," she said. "It needs to be part
of a whole package."

Crowder said it is hard to tell what sort of impact the plan will
have on communities such as Nanaimo.

"There isn't enough detail about what the programs are going to look
like on this and we've seen in other cases that announcements are
made, but the money doesn't roll out," she said. "Talk is cheap."

Nanaimo-Alberni Conservative MP James Lunney is currently on vacation
and could not be reached for comment before press time.