By Alice Ratcliffe

ZURICH, Sept 26 (Reuter) Swiss citizens vote in a referendum on Sunday on
whether to change a drug prevention programme that critics believe amounts to
a harddrug giveaway.

If the initiative passes, it would curb a sixyearold programme that allows
the government to offer addicts some hard drugs on a restricted and
controlled basis as part of its effort to reduce open addiction and the crime
linked to it.

The referendum's wording makes clear that such substances could not be part
of a government drugprevention programme.

``Handing out narcotics is forbidden, except those used for purely medicinal
purposes,'' the text of the referendum says, specifically banning heroin,
smokable opium, cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens and similar substances.

Sponsors of the referendum include the rightist Swiss People's Party, the
Liberal Democrats and a number of Swiss athletes and former athletes. They
gathered 140,000 signatures for the referendum, more than the mandatory
100,000 needed.

The Swiss cabinet has recommended voting against the initiative, called
``Youth Without Drugs.'' Much of the Swiss parliament also opposes it.

Swiss Interior Minister Ruth Dreifuss, in a recent article published in the
Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper, said the government's position was clear.

``As clearly as the government is against the onesidedly restrictive policy
of the initiative 'Youth without Drugs', it has also unmistakably come out
against giving away drugs to young people.''

She rebuffed critics of the government's current antidrug programme, saying
it has been successful in numerous cases.

Switzerland adopted the antidrug package after rampant drug use in several
cities led to rising crime rates and widespread public consumption in some
pedestrian zones.

Europe's largest open drug scene at Zurich's Platzspitz park tolerated by
Zurich authorities attracted worldwide attention until it was closed down
in 1992.

The government argues its current programme has cut crime and helped ease the
drug problem. Its most controversial aspect, offering heroin to those with
worstcase addiction problems, began in 1994. Currently 721 addicts take part
in the programme.

A government research team found in a threeyear study that a
medicallysupervised prescription programme for heroin addicts who did not
respond to other therapy helped them to stabilise their domestic lives and
integrate themselves in society.

The percentage of those in the programme earning income from criminal
activity dropped sharply, figures showed.

The study tracked 1,146 people at 18 clinics.