GOVERNMENT TAKES SOFT LINE ON DRUGS IN CLUBS

NEW Government guidelines for the nightclub drugs scene have abandoned a
hardline stance in favour of advising club owners on how to minimise the
effects of inevitable drug abuse.

The Safer Clubbing booklet marks a shift in Home Office policy by putting
such heavy emphasis on "managing" the use of illegal substances like ecstasy.

The new direction may even contradict the Government's own legislation,
which makes it illegal for owners to tolerate drug use on their premises.

Launching the new guide at a nightclub in London's West End, drugs minister
Bob Ainsworth said: "If we cannot stop them from taking drugs then we must
be prepared to take steps to reduce the harm that they may cause themselves."

The guide contains tips on how to stop drugs being brought into clubs but,
for the first time, goes into detail on how organisers can reduce the risks
associated with drug-taking.

Mr Ainsworth said: "Although drug use has stabilised nationally,
unfortunately for many young club-goers illegal drug use has become an
integral part of their night out.

"Club owners and dance promoters have a duty to make sure that they have
done everything possible to reduce the risks faced by the young people who
are their paying customers.

"We have to recognise that some clubbers will continue to ignore the risks
and carry on taking dangerous drugs."

The guide says that club operators can reduce drug-related deaths by
providing supplies of drinking water for users of ecstasy who suffer
dehydration.

They should also prevent overcrowding and overheating, and ensure there is
ventilation to counter the effects of popular dance drugs. Employees should
be trained in first aid to spot people intoxicated with drugs, alcohol or both.

There should also be a separate treatment room offering a calm environment
where clubbers can receive attention for drug-induced side-effects or "bad
trips".

To crack down on drug dealers, they should employ police-approved door
staff and employ comprehensive searches of clubbers, including metal
detectors to find weapons.

The guide also points out that anti-drug publicity campaigns in nightclubs
were likely to be ineffective because a majority of customers are
"confirmed drug users".

Alan and Liz Spinks, whose 19-year-old daughter Lorna died after taking
ecstasy before visiting a nightclub in Cambridge, gave their support to the
booklet.

Mr Spinks said: "We hope that the principles and advice contained in the
Safer Clubbing guide are adopted by all those involved in the clubbing
environment. They will help to reduce the likelihood of a crisis occurring,
help with its early detection and improve reaction in the critical period
immediately afterwards."

But Janet Betts, whose daughter Leah was killed by drugs, said she was
concerned about the Home Office's approach. She argued that the authorities
had to take firm action against club owners who allowed drug dealing on
their premises.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "These things, like free running
cold water, and a rest room and a first aider, should be there anyway. The
minute you put a fancy label on it, like chill-out room, or we have a
paramedic, that club is using that to advertise the fact that they tolerate
drug use, and that's what I object to."

Drug sector experts said today's guidelines could contradict the
Government's own reforms of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, completed before
the last General Election but not yet enforced.

Labour re-wrote section eight of the Act which makes it an offence to
permit drug use on your premises. The new version covers all drugs,
including ecstasy, whereas the earlier version was limited to cannabis and
opium.

Therefore, asking club owners to take action to reduce the health risks
associated with drug-taking could generate a clash with the Act.

Danny Kushlick, of drug law reform group Transform, welcomed the moves but
said: "The criminalisation of dance drugs actually creates much of the
danger that these guidelines seek to reduce. No drug becomes safer when
it's left in the hands of organised crime and unregulated dealers."

An estimated four million people use illicit drugs in the UK each year.
Government figures show deaths where cocaine has been a factor have
increased from 12 in 1993 to 80 or 90 in 2000, while deaths involving
ecstasy increased from eight to 36 in the same period.

Government-commissioned research published earlier this year found that
drug users cost society UKP19 billion a year, with hardcore heroin and
cocaine addicts responsible for 99 per cent of the bill.