TOUGH DRUG POLICY WORKING: HOWARD

A DECLINE in deaths from heroin overdoses was proof of the success of the
government's tough on drugs strategy, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

Addressing the West Australian Liberal Party conference in Perth, Mr Howard
said the government remained committed to a three-pronged approach to drugs
involving education, law enforcement and rehabilitation.

"A strategy based on the three-pronged approach is a strategy that will
work," he said.

"It is a vastly superior strategy to the harm minimisation strategy
preferred by those who basically say that you can't do anything about it,
you've got to mitigate the consequences.

"The reality is that we are making progress - we have seen a decline in the
number of deaths from heroin overdoses."

However, he said the government's responsibility was limited, and parents
had the biggest role to play in preventing drug abuse.

"In the end, the people most responsible for the behaviour of children are
their parents," he said.