DRUG FUNDS NOT SOFT OPTION

Boosting funding to help drug offenders avoid jail did not mean going
soft on the "tough on drugs" stance, the Prime Minister, John Howard,
insisted yesterday.

Mr Howard confirmed a Herald report that the Government would nearly
double to $215 million its spending on diversion programs that provide
treatment and rehabilitation to early offenders instead of criminal
penalties. He said the headline "Zero tolerance now gets a $215
million heart" was "quite misleading".

The extra money on diversion schemes did not lessen the Government's
emphasis on people not starting on drugs in the first place, he said.

Mr Howard said he did not share the harm-minimisation approach which
said drugs in moderation were acceptable provided there were programs
to mitigate their ill-effects.

"The message we should communicate to young people is don't start
illicit drugs in the first place, don't even start marijuana," Mr
Howard said.