BROWN BACKS OFF GREENS' DRUG IDEAS

RATTLED Greens leader Bob Brown yesterday rushed to distance himself from
his party's policies on hard drugs.

Senator Brown, who admitted smoking dope in his mid-20s, denied some of his
own party's policies.

"I don't back the illegal drug trade. I don't back an open slather,
over-the-counter system," he said.

"I advise people not to (smoke marijuana) - the medical evidence is not good."

But the Greens website advocates the controlled availability of cannabis at
"appropriate venues". It proposes to investigate regulating the supply of
ecstasy and unspecified drugs in controlled environments, and the removal
of illicit drug use from the criminal framework.

Senator Brown's outburst follows a Herald Sun expose of his party's
soft-on-drugs policy.

The revelations prompted wide debate about the Greens, whose recent polling
indicates they might win the balance of power in the Senate in the new
Parliament.

The Greens' other controversial proposals include a push to make
Australians eat less meat but ride bicycles more frequently. They advocate
higher taxes and new ones, such as inheritance taxes.

But Senator Brown appeared unaware of the Greens' own platform while
lashing out at the Prime Minister's tough-on-drugs policy.

At a joint press conference with Australian Democrats leader Andrew
Bartlett to announce preference deals, Senator Brown admitted smoking
marijuana but said he had learned better since.

"When I was in London back in 1970, I did sit in a circle with some
Eritrean students and puffed on some marijuana, and I did inhale," Senator
Brown said. "But I haven't since."

He said his party's policy would move away from the tough on drugs approach.

"The policy means let's look at alternatives instead of being hard-lined,
narrow-minded like the Prime Minister is, which says that you must
criminalise everybody who falls prey to the sale of drugs," he said.

"Current drug policies are prescriptive and harmful to young Australians
using them, and they can die uninformed."

Senator Bartlett, who has had his own troubles with alcohol, said he had
never used illegal drugs, and the Democrats' approach was different.

"Illegal drugs can be very harmful; I've seen some of the harm drugs can
do. I've never used illegal drugs, but I don't condemn people who do,"
Senator Bartlett said.

"Increasing availability is rarely a wise move."

Labor leader Mark Latham also distanced himself from the Greens, whose
preferences could be crucial for Labor's chances in marginal seats.

"Our policy is that we don't support the legalisation of drugs," he said.

Prime Minister John Howard said it was important that the Greens' agenda
was fully exposed.