POLITICIANS WARNED AGAINST CRIMINALISING PETROL-SNIFFING

The Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health is warning politicians
against allowing the petrol-sniffing debate to be bogged down in attempts to
have it criminalised.

The Northern Territory CLP wants petrol sniffing criminalised so the legal
system has greater power to impose conditions on sniffers.

The research centre's Pat Anderson says extensive research into petrol
sniffing has already been carried out and should be the focus of the debate.

"It looks at a whole range of things, you know, different interventions as
well as prevention," she said.

"All I'm suggesting is the various camps or points of view might like to
inform themselves about this research and others that have been done."