N.Z. to study drug report

Press, 11 February 1981, Page 4

N.Z. to study drug report

By

KEN COATES

in London

New Zealand’s Ministry of j Justice will be asked to study a new British report recommending . stronger police powers for investigating suspected drug offenders to see whether its proposals could be of benefit in New Zealand. The chairman of the New Zealand Government’s Misuse of Drugs Committee, the

member of Parliament tor Horowhenua, Mr G. W. F. ’ Thompson, interviewed near 1 the end of a 10-day visit to L Britain, said a report by the 7 Royal Commission on Crimi- ■ nal Procedure..could be “of : considerable interest to us in > Next l '' Zealand."-' t - He said the report dealt with police procedures for 7 dealing with those suspected ■ of drug offences. ! “It refers to the powers of • arrest and detention —I whether you pull people off' the street and detain them; while a gang suspected of a drug conspiracy is picked' up, or a search is made fordrugs/’. said Mr Thompson. The- recommendations generally strengthened the powers of the police, and made them more consistent. I “With a lot of the New ; Zealand police powers, such Jas those used in the! drugs J field, and derived from com[mon law or statute, there is j inconsistency as to how far [ you can go with them. Thei . whole idea seems to be to simplify procedures so that there is a toughening up. ; Legislation would be inJ volved." Mr Thompson said he did . not know what the British ; Government’s attitude to the recommendations was, as I the report had just been ! presented, but after talks with Home Office officials it

- seemed as though they, would be well.received. r After talking to legisla-j i tors, the police, and Govern-1 : ment officials in Britain and! ■ the United States, he notesj [ increasing concern about the’ 11 misuse of prescription drugs.! j “This goes beyond! ['pharmacy break-ins, bad pre-’ .•[scriptions, or even mis-| 11 behaviour by doctors,” he ‘said. Both countries are increas- [ ■Singly concerned about the' ■ growing evidence of well or-j Jganised robberies of drug! ’ manufacturers or distributors I J and trading in pills costing ■a few cents, but which sell on the street for $8 to $lO each. In New Zealand, according! to Mr Thompson, barbitu-i rates and amphetamines arei sold on the street because of! doctors and chemists’ being j conned,” or premises being! burgled. ! “But 50 per cent of our! drug problem is the misuse! i of licit drugs and it could get worse because of increased availability. * | “I will be looking at security in relation to the premises of distributors and manufacturers, as if there is money in it, you can expect organised crime to be interested,” he said. Mr Thompson investigated the use of heroin for addition treatment in Britain. He '

ifound "it is accepted but’ ’declining. The general opinion is that it is not some-; ' thing they would produce as; ’new.” J There was nothing in Brit-, lain that proponents of its; use for heroin addicts in: iNew Zealand should seek to’ ’obtain support from, Mr {Thompson said. I “They still maintain there [is value in a methadone; ! maintenance programme.. [whereas there is little sup-: [port for this in New Zea-; Hand. At home we seek to [introduce a withdrawal programme without drugs,! which is preferred, whereas j in Britain they do not seem! to think that this could be' [sustained,” he said. Mr Thompson describes; [New Zealand as more open: [minded about heroin addic-' [tion treatment because it: I has come to the problem, I later and learned from the 1 [mistakes of others. i In Britain and the United; [States it did not have the[ [ same profile as previously j [and was not seen as such an accelerating and difficult [ problem. In New Zealand! the problem was serious, but’ not getting out of hand. From all sources had come reports of more effective police action against illicit supply of drugs,' Mr Thompson said.