DRUGS? I HAVE NO PROBLEMS - KEITH

ROLLING Stones legend and former heroin addict Keith Richards has condoned
drug use.

"I have no problems with drugs, but I have problems with people who deal in
them," Richards, 59, told the Herald Sun.

"If you didn't have to go down to the bloody gutter to get it, and meet the
people who live there, it wouldn't be so bad."

His comments drew immediate and angry fire from authorities and anti-drug
lobby groups.

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre spokesman Paul Dillon said
Richards was on dangerous ground.

"When you are a multi-millionaire and you've got gorgeous women hanging off
each arm, you send a very powerful message," he said.

"Keith Richards has been through a lot: that is well acknowledged. But if
he says there are no harms or risks associated with drug use, then he is
walking on dangerous ground.

"The problem with the message that people like Keith Richards gives is that
it is based on the fact that he went in, lived hard, lived rough, did
everything, but came out the other end.

"The message then becomes: 'I did it all and survived'. That is the wrong
message.

"When you are in a position of privilege and notoriety, you have to be
careful what you say, particularly if you are influential with young people."

Bill Muehlenberg, head of the Australian Family Association, said Richards
was "a pretty strung-out dude".

"So his comments on drugs, while not unexpected, are not wise," Mr
Muehlenberg said.

"He is a role model who should remember this: illicit drugs are illegal and
they screw up lives.

"He plays pretty good rock 'n' roll, but he should keep his mouth closed
about drug tips and where to get them."

Richards, the original bad boy of rock 'n' roll who fought public battles
with drug and alcohol addiction, said the real problem was perception.

"Drugs are a problem because of the context they are put into in society,"
he said. "Your body is your temple and you can ask: 'I wonder what this
pill does?' or 'Do I like this smoke?' On that level, it is all right.

"It's only when it's associated with criminals, and turns anybody that
tries a little pill or a smoke into a criminal, that I have a problem."

Mr Dillon dismissed Richards' temple analogy as irrelevant hippie-speak.
"It's funny to hear people like Keith Richards and (Aerosmith front man)
Steve Tyler talking about their bodies being temples, then think about some
of the things they have done to these temples.

"That is old hippie thinking. Keith and Steve are perfect walking
advertisements for reasons not to do drugs."

Bill Stronach, chief executive of the Australian Drug Foundation, said:
"The big problem is Keith Richards is a role model who young people listen to.

"There are a lot of people, like him, who have used drugs quite heavily and
survived. And there are some who have used drugs very lightly, and died.

"The message that drugs present no problems is the wrong message," Mr
Stronach said.

The Rolling Stones perform at Rod Laver Arena on February 25, 27 and March 1.