SOFT APPROACH HAS ITS RISKS

NO POLITICIAN wants to be labelled as soft on drugs.

So Health Minister Bob Kucera was yesterday faced with the daunting task of
relaxing drug laws while simultaneously convincing people he was tough on
drugs.

In measured tones, the former police assistant commissioner outlined a
cannabis reform agenda which was careful, cautious and, at least from a
police resources perspective, logical.

The proposed new laws should free police time and reduce over-crowded court
lists, as well as stop minor experimentations resulting in potentially
life-shattering criminal convictions.

The Government has learnt from South Australia's mistakes and the new laws
should not prove a spawning ground for organised crime.

The proposed legislation has the in-principle support of Police
Commissioner Barry Matthews and there is the definite possibility the new
laws will prove a law and order success.

But there is also a good chance the reforms will prove to be a public
relations nightmare.

Those three words - Soft On Drugs - will haunt the Gallop Government. The
Opposition will drum those words into voters every day until the next State
election.

With this in mind, Mr Kucera launched a pre-emptive strike with the
objective of portraying the Gallop Government as strongly anti-drugs.

The first part of the attack was to snuff out talk of the L-word:
Legalisation. He wasn't even that keen on the D-word: Decriminalisation.
"The word decriminalisation to average Australians means we are going to
legalise it," he reasoned. "But as I have s aid from day one we will not be
legalising cannabis.

"I have got to give my message now and a warning. It is illegal. It will
always remain illegal as far as we're concerned in the Government. Simple
as that."

The Labor Government's cannabis reform agenda is a brave move.

Unfortunately, voters will go to the next election not knowing if it was
the right move.