SENDING OUT THE WRONG MESSAGE

At a time when terrorism is getting most of the headlines, it is pleasing
to see The West Australian has not overlooked the significance of drug
abuse in our community. Your three reports (27/7) helped to keep the heat
on this matter and raised some serious concerns.

The suggestion of increasing use of recreational drugs by younger police
officers, although based on only anecdotal evidence, is something that must
be dealt with firmly and urgently. If our community is to rid itself of or
reduce the drug-abuse problem, the police service is one of our primary
tools and must be clean of the problem itself.

Of far more worry is the low-key attitude of the Gallop Government to
eliminating drug abuse. Your reports highlight a failure of the so-called
soft approach to marijuana use. Decriminalisation was always going to send
a signal that the Government and the community are not so concerned about
recreational use of marijuana. The trial by the Federal and the State
government under Richard Court was an attempt to see whether an alternative
approach could help to fight the growing trend of drug misuse without
applying a criminal record to the young and hopefully one-time offenders.

The figures you provided indicate that fewer than 25 per cent of young
offenders receive any more than a written police warning, only one-in-four
is referred to juvenile justice teams and even fewer are then referred to
education or intervention programs. The overwhelming message is that the
Government does not care about low-level recreational users and is happy to
sweep the problem under the carpet. This ignores the logical consequence
that the community generally, and in particular the vulnerable youth, will
now see that action as accepting drugs and will more readily try them. We
all know where that leads to for some users.

It is time for the State Government to stop back-pedalling on the
issue. It should reinstate funding to educational programs such as Life
Education, increase funding for the school drug education program and get
tough on all levels of drug users and particularly dealers. It needs to say
unequivocally that drug abuse is unacceptable. Rather than decriminalising
low-level drug use, leave the criminal sanctions in place and legislate for
the future expunging of minor records, for instance, following five years
without further offence.

Mike McAuliffe, Floreat.