NETHERLANDS DRUGS POLICY 'VINDICATED' BY NEW STATISTICS 

 Amsterdam's tolerant policies on drugs have been vindicated by new
statistics on the spread of AIDS and narcotics abuse, say health
officials in the Netherlands.

 Amsterdam's authorities permit the use of soft drugs and freely
distribute clean needles among intravenous drug users with doses of
methadone, which can be used as a substitute for heroin.

 The city's liberal line has been condemned for 20 years by narcotic
experts abroad. But figures now show that only 9 per cent of AIDS
virus carriers in Holland are intravenous drug users, compared with an
average of 30 per cent in the rest of Europe.

 Drugs-related crime rates are also very low in Amsterdam compared
with other European cities, and the percentage of young drug users is
decreasing fast.  The latest surveys show that 4 per cent of Dutch
addicts are under 21. Seven years ago, the figure was 14 per cent.

 Mr Eddy Engelsman, head of the Health Ministry's drugs department,
said: "The American war on drugs is a failure. We are in favour of a
pragmatic policy, and statistics show that we are on the right path.
We have applied drugs policy based on harm reduction for the past 20
years. Our ideas were still regarded as lunacy years ago. But the
urgency to combat the spread of AIDS has finally proved us right."

 Mr Englesman is critical of foreign scare tactics, such as the
British slogan: "Heroin screws you up". He believes they can actually
increase temptation among teenagers to try hard drugs.

 "Abroad, drug addicts are often seen as dangerous monsters, with whom
it is impossible to have a coherent conversation. We treat them as
responsible people," he said. Drugs campaigns concentrate on Hollands
7000 addicts and especially 3000 intravenous drug users.  Mr Ernst
Bening, a psychologist at the Amsterdam drugs department, said: "We
treat drug users like patients not criminals."

 The Amsterdam approach benefits from almost unanimous political
support in the Hague, even though it costs more than 60 million pound
(approx $NZ180 million) a year. Mr Buning says the money is well
spent. Amsterdam health officials have been able to advise personally
80 per cent of the city's addicts, compared with similar figures in
the United States of 10 to 20 per cent.

 The first point of contact is the "methadone bus", which drives
around the city distributing daily doses of methadone to registered
drug users.

 Mr Hans Robilns, who works on the bus, said" "We don't ask questions,
but we can talk to the patients and advise them on AIDS prevention or
direct them to further assistance."

 However, some politicians fear the Amsterdam approach could lead to
Holland becoming the "social dustbin" of the European community when
internal frontiers are abolished next year.

                             - The "Daily Telegraph"