ILLICIT DRUG USE HIGH IN WA: REPORT

WA Has One Of Australia's Highest Rates Of Illicit Drug Use.

Drugs such as cannabis, heroin and amphetamines cost the State $610
million a year, a new WA Health Department and Drug and Alcohol Office
report said.

Almost a quarter of West Australians have used illicit drugs - the
second highest proportion of people in Australia, it said.

The highest proportion was in the Northern Territory.

The most common drug was cannabis which was used regularly by 16.5 per
cent of people aged 16-24.

New laws on possession of small amounts of cannabis and plants come
into effect this month.

Health Minister Jim McGinty has said that the use and possession of
the drug would still be illegal after the Cannabis Control Act came
into effect on March 22.

Police will have discretion to issue an infringement with compulsory
drug education class atendance or charge a person found with less than
30g of cannabis or up to two plants.

Opposition drug strategy spokesman Simon O'Brien said that no matter
what spin the Government tried to put on the change, people would see
it as a relaxation of laws.

"The chickens will soon be coming home to roost because people will
get the idea that having a bit of cannabis is OK," Mr O'Brien said.

"In South Australia where they've had this type of legislation, many
people think it's legal to possess or grow a small amount of cannabis.

"A cottage industry will develop as people start to grow the stuff,
not for their own use but to supply everyone else."

Mr O'Brien said suppliers were gearing up for the new laws and quiet
suburban streets could become the scene of violent home invasions as
peole sought to steal cannabis plants.

He said ther was evidence that this was already occurring. A resident
in a northern suburb had claimed that 20 youths armed with steel bars,
golf clubs and knives recently had attacked a main while trying to
retrieve what they claimed was a stolen $1000 cannabis plant.

Drug and Alcohol Office acting executive officer Steve Allsop said
many people in WA used cannabis but the level was relatively stable.

He did not expect the new laws to encourage more people to use
cannnabis because the legality of the drug would not change.

"We will obviously need to monitor the situation but in other States
with similar laws there hasn't been any real change," Professor Allsop
said.

"Under the new system, police can say, 'Here's a fine rather than
going through the court system' and hopefully we'll get more people
going into treatment and then a decrease in the use of cannabis."

WA also had the biggest number of injecting drug users - almost 20,000
people - and the highest rate of non-medical analgesic and
tranquilliser use - 3.9 per cent of people, the report said.

After cannabis the drugs most commonly used by young people were
amphetamines (8 per cent) and ecstasy (7 per cent) but the use of
heroin was almost negligible.

Illicit drugs were responsible for one per cent of deaths in WA in
2001 and drug-related visits to Perth hospital emergency departments
more than doubled from 1993 to 1998.

The report analysed data from a number of studies and surveys.