DRUGS AND SUICIDE PROBLEMS ADDRESSED IN BUDGET

Suicide prevention and protecting the victims of drugs have attracted
funding of $20.5 million in the budget, Associate Health Minister Jim
Anderton announced today.

Mr Anderton, leader of the Progressive Party, said nearly $15m over
four years had been allocated for drug-related health initiatives and
$5.5m over four years to support suicide prevention measures.

"I believe our current programmes to reduce suicide and suicide
attempts are having a positive effect and officials believe the
general trend in our suicide rates is starting to decline," he said.

"However, there's still more work to do in order to save
lives."

The suicide prevention funding would be divided into:

* $700,000 a year for three years and $250,000 thereafter for
improving assessment and management of at-risk people;

* $300,000 to plan a national initiative to combat
depression;

* $2.8m over four years to expand the Suicide Prevention Information
New Zealand project;

* $60,000 for each of the next two years to reprint suicide prevention
guidelines for schools. The drug-related health initiatives comprised:

* $1.4m this year and $1.06m for each of the next three years for
agencies working with young people in the central North Island;

* $135,000 for prevention training to allow those working with
patients to better identify signs of potential problems and risky behaviour;

* $191,000 for each of the next two years and $157,000 in the third
year to pilot placing alcohol and other drug clinicians at court;

* $344,000 this year and $194,000 next to provide evaluations for the
15 community action on youth and drugs sites established recently;

* $3.06m over four years to a discretionary fund for
inter-departmental drug policy projects;

* $140,000 for each of the next four years for a ministerial committee
on drug policy and the national drug policy;

* $1m for year of the next four years for needle and syringe exchange
programmes;

* $300,000 this year and $283,000 for each of the next three years in
additional funding for the New Zealand Drug Foundation.