DRUGS UPDATE THE RIGHT FIX

THE quiet revolution in Queensland's drug laws is all but complete.

Yesterday's news of a trial, under which people caught with small amounts
of drugs will face counselling instead of courts, means recreational drug
use has been all-but decriminalised in Queensland. Under a pre-existing
diversion program for cannabis, thousands of Queenslanders, who would once
have been arrested and charged over possession of the drug, have been given
a second chance. Yesterday's announcement extended that to harder drugs
such as LSD, heroin and cocaine.

It means students and nightclub revellers caught experimenting with drugs
will get a chance to avoid criminal convictions and to learn the facts
about the dangers of drug abuse. But far more importantly, it means
authorities have the chance to improve the lives of hard-core, addicted
drug abusers by offering treatment instead of fines or court sentences.
Used properly, the diversion regime presents a positive intervention to
help people who are in genuine trouble, not just a cheap excuse to let
people off the hook. Drugs are finally being seen as a health problem, not
a law-and-order issue.

Premier Peter Beattie, who falls over himself to appear socially
conservative, has continued his program of backdoor reform conducted behind
a cloak of conservatism. But this time, with his political opponents on
board, the risks would seem to be minimal.