DRUG PLAN HITS DEALERS AND HELPS ADDICTS

A Government plan to tackle the rising problem of methamphetamine use in
New Zealand will aim to make life much harder for manufacturers of the
drug, but help victims get better treatment.

The Methamphetamine Action Plan, released yesterday by Associate Health
Minister Jim Anderton, includes 19 actions to controlsupply, reduce demand,
limit harm and improve treatment services.

The first part is the reclassification of methamphetamine to a Class A
drug, by next Friday. Those importing or manufacturing the drug, commonly
known as speed, could face life imprisonment.

Those convicted of conspiracy to commit an offence could face 14 years'
prison, and those caught in possession of the drug could be imprisoned for
six months, and/or fined $1000.

Police and Customs will get more powers to search for and seize the drug or
its ingredients.

"There is a zero tolerance approach by the Government to this," said Mr
Anderton, who is also chairman of the Ministerial Action Group on Alcohol
and Drugs.

"We just consider it an outrageously dangerous drug and those who engage in
it are engaging in a substance of evil."

But addicts should get better treatment.

"We are not really after punishment for those who are victims, but we want
to help them, their families and communities."

This would include improved community education, particularly among Maori.

"There is quite a significant amount of evidence that gangs, many of them
Maori, are involved in the production and sale of methamphetamine," Mr
Anderton said.

"I want to be co-operative with Maori communities ... there is a suggestion
that a rahui [ban] could be placed on methamphetamine. Not everyone takes
notice of that, but it will be helpful in terms of the culture of this."

Mr Anderton met American rap star Coolio on Wednesday and discussed the
proliferation of substance abuse.

"It was extraordinary how honest he was about all this substance abuse and
hard drugs. He has had plenty of experience, obviously, and it reinforced
to me the desperate need for strong community action," Mr Anderton said.
The head of the police National Drug Intelligence Bureau, Detective
Inspector Gary Knowles, said the plan was an important step towards
tackling the problem.

He believed life imprisonment for serious methamphetamine-related offences
was appropriate.

Police were now coming across manufacturers in routine traffic stops - with
chemicals and drug-making paraphernalia being found in vehicles.

Competition between rival manufacturers had forced "cooks" to become more
mobile. It was not just an urban problem - police were finding labs in
farmhouses, motels and unused warehouses.

The youngest person police had found using methamphetamine was a 9-year-old.

Green MP Nandor Tanczos welcomed the plan, saying the solution to the
problem was in education, treatment and reducing drug supplies.

"For far too long the focus of drug prevention has been on policing users,
while those who have wanted to get off drugs have been scrambling to find
places to help them," he said.

Mr Anderton said the Budget had provided $2.55 million a year for community
initiatives to combat the drug and $150,000 a year for a national drug
information analyst to gather data for the National Drug Policy.

The Budget provided $620,000 a year for operating funding for a pilot South
Island youth residential service to support young people on drugs. A
further $250,000 will be given as a one-off start-up payment.

Customs is to receive $1.9 million to enhance drug teams in the three
largest centres and to employ a further 12 specialist drug investigators
and four intelligence analysts.

The Government will invest between $15 million and $25 million for
specialist x-ray technology, and employ an extra 130 Customs staff.

Police received $6.6 million over four years for two police teams trained
to clean up methamphetamine laboratories, and $100,000 a year will go on
staff to manage and supervise Youthline volunteers 24 hours a day.