MARIJUANA LAWS TO BE REVIEWED

New National Drug Control Minister Wayne Perinchief yesterday said he
would be reviewing the laws on marijuana after becoming alarmed over
the numbers of people on the stop list.

Asked about decriminalisation of marijuana, Mr. Perinchief told a
Press conference yesterday it was a contentious issue but many people
were calling for a look at the law.

He said: "I will certainly be reviewing many of the laws that wrap
around ATI (Alternatives to Incarceration) and we have to consider
going forward in this modern world and keeping in sync with other countries.

He noted the "disproportionally punitive effect on young people"
caught with a small amount of drugs and put on the stop list.

Around 70 Bermudian students had been stopped or impeded from going to college.

"It opened my eyes, I wasn't entirely shocked by it but it was a wake
up call. You can take your message from that. It is something I will
be reviewing."

The Minister also revealed the new National Drug Control Ministry
will be created out of the National Drug Commission.

He said the National Drug Commission couldn't mandate much because it
didn't have the powers.

"It was just simply providing funding ad hoc for groups who made
applications but this stage will tie them altogether."

Mr. Perinchief said: "Many of the organisations which came under the
Health Ministry will now come under the ministry of National Drug
Control -- the NDC. Effectively the NDC has grown up into a
full-blown Ministry."

The treatment part of the Alternatives to Incarceration was not as
effective could be, said Mr. Perinchief. He said the Bermuda
Assessment and Referral Centre and treatment programmes would be beefed up.

"So people put on ATI don't simply go home and continue with what
they were doing before. They will have a real measurable improvement
in their treatment." Early intervention to help youngsters get off
ecstasy and particularly marijuana could stop them getting into harder drugs.

"There are a lot of drug users coming out of prison. Camp Spirit will
certainly be strengthened.

"Of course there will be greater focus, and you heard it from the
Governor himself, on the Mr. Big and those who gain financially from drugs.

"On the one hand there will be more rehabilitation and prevention --
and for the people making money there will be more punishment."

He said people had to adopt tough love for addicted relatives and out
people who had been hiding in closet over their drug links. "I would
like to see a change in mindset -- that we can do something about
debilitating drugs and we can do something about rehabilitating
people in an effective way."

He said the parish councils would be given more power to take on
their drugs problems, aided by Police closing drug dens.

"What you see is a package, it will be a sustainable strategy.

"It won't be sweeping streets of drug dealers and closing crack
houses only to have them come back. We want to recapture
neighbourhoods that are risk."