PROMISE IN WA DRUG RESPONSE

The State Government has responded to the recommendations of the Community
Drug Summit with pragmatism and a degree of enlightenment.

In essence, it has accepted the need for a major policy shift towards
treating drug addiction as a health rather than a criminal issue. This is
in line with changes in community views - as reflected by the summit - and
overall is a move in the right direction.

In accepting all but one of the summit's 47 recommendations, the Government
has exposed itself to political risks of being labelled soft on drugs and
of offending people who believe that prohibition is the only solution -
even though this has not worked. But it also has put itself into a sound
position to make headway in the fight against drug abuse and the social
devastation it causes.

The Government has not supported the establishment in Perth of a safe
injecting room - such as the one in Sydney's King's Cross - which the
summit said should be considered. The best argument for such a room is that
it would enable addicts who used it to get medical help quickly if they got
into trouble.

However, it has to be accepted that a safe injecting room in Perth probably
would not be well used because of the city's relatively low population density.

The Government says that it accepts the recommendation that addicts for
whom no treatment works should get prescribed heroin in a State-run trial -
probably the most controversial proposal by the summit and the one least
likely to attract broad community support. But this will not happen because
the Federal Government is opposed to it.

This is just as well. Such a project would legitimise heroin use, make the
Government a supplier and encourage some young people to take the view that
if they became addicted they could turn to the State for free heroin.

Some people will also object to the Government's decision to liberalise
cannabis laws. However, it can be argued that it has done little more than
to acknowledge the reality that marijuana use is widely spread, as is the
acceptance of its use.

The Government plans to change the law so that personal users who have one
or two cannabis plants or up to 25g of marijuana will be fined but not have
a criminal conviction recorded against them. One of the problems associated
with this is that a lot more than 25g of marijuana could be harvested from
two plants.

Another is that 25g is quite a big amount - it has been reported that one
gram would make between five and 10 marijuana cigarettes. There is a need
for the Government to rethink some of the details of this policy.

Also, given that the removal of the fear of criminal conviction might
encourage some people to grow plants and become regular users, a big moral
responsibility falls on the Government to make sure that West Australians
are properly informed about the potential dangers of marijuana use - such
as possible psychosis.

However, some reservations aside, it is clear that the Government has
embraced a set of proposals which collectively should help to prevent
people - particularly the young - from developing serious drug problems and
give those who do a better chance of recovery. The test now will be in the
money and effort it is prepared to invest in carrying out its policies.