/l THE WEST AUSTRALIAN SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30 2OO2

Why is US billionaire George chumcd ab<iilEFQ niltiga sf his carn-

ff e?'#.:uff iir"[#i"#*'"0-'"interested in the reform of WAs drug

laws? Norman Aisbett finds out,

EGULAR letter ffiiters to Th€W6t Autlaliu irrc@lt ycas

l\havc come to incUAc "

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spokesman for ln influeatial lobbygroup for dsg law rcfom.

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* That's [ot so surprising, exceDt thatKoDen Sha4E and the Drug polcyNuance ue bascd in fa-offv/ashngtou in the US.

MrSharpre nisgsg a9 chance towadc i'lto tle dcbatc on the need liors,otter drug laws rclating to carnabis inwA ao cddcs uyone witl a conuryopl[on.

. He declares the..war on drugs,, isrosr and_a waste of costly resoucesIll.cguld be us€d clsewhere; thatucrt orug use do€s lot warraDtiail ora cnmrnat record; that only crimir

Erop.ean statcs msde indilin<tent bythe collapse of the Soviet e-mpire. (Mithe collapse of the Soviet e-noire.Soros was bom itr Hungarv. He isSoros.was bom itr Hungaty. fi;i.Iewish and as aJewish and as a youth hid'to flee na,ipersccution duringWorld War II. Hemgratcd to thc US in 195d.t He heq

founding thc Lindcsmitt-CenGr, aidemetgeO ag a shong DroDoncnt of

migratcdro thc_U--S in tS5O.l Hl ilgansonal usc will Gor a StOO inAinslment noti@; l5g to 30g and less

-thument noti@; l5g to 30g and less ithr@ pla.nts will &aw a $150 fnc.menr nou@; f5g to 309 andthr@ pla.nts will &aw a $15(

Policp will retain the rintrroxc€ wil.t retarn the right to layctuInal charges for small amouts ifthcy suspcct somcdneft dealing.

!o sp€Nld big to hclp trun sci,eral suihstatcs into Western-style democracics

tlc then decided A-Eerica's omope.n society was eroding and tmedro oollcstc causcs such as imEigrants

lfff ,TH-"fff,f l'.#:ji|lft"I'. TOW this ffas achicved is anl-l rntriguing tale of more than a

.J- .L gcede of indefatigable poli_ucFng by a network of disciplinedactivistg who include acadedics.trealth profcssionals and thc

$HEiff*;H:*GrouProrThclattcr group includes lg WA

pouuqars Among them arc MinisrcrIor PlaDnng ed InfrastructurcAl_ anaah MacTicman, AgicultueMitrlstcr Kim ChaDcc and Greem

tior of thcrpersoaal us;;i d-ilLrcsprtc hrs public statements to the

?ngTyt.he.hjas also given cncouragemcnt to_the bigger goal of legalisatiba.Ern,an Nadelmrnn, vto runs the DrugP-olicy Alliance, is an wen more stri-

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dcnt advocatc of the lcgalisation ofdrugs, atd not only camabis.

But thc first altd most achiwablepo-ucy goal of thc alliacc aud ottrerrclo.rm€rc_was thc rccognition byoeatrn authorities of .,ham redus

o.uqgcq a8 a sEong proponcnt of-bam-reduction" and decriminalisa_

4pptbfh was also'Wes&rnwh€re

hadin'the 1980s.

lqgSriurc$ Iikeddedle

:unjloomg barmbj critics as being

strong

AnU-drugcampalgnetsGet"ldineilulllns (teft)and WendyHerbert.

93", _s: *T eoT :.prohibition" by being

able to charge high prices; that -

cannabls is less daagerous than bothrooacco or alcohol, and more^^ r tre Drug policy Alliance, formed inzuur

,oy tie m€rging of two major USmg regatlsatron grouDs. thc

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,'"1'#H[ff:iifg"Tf, ?t'.._"vcry powerftrl frures.

''":#:'3s"#"HxE"f,:l:,*l'-pnuailhr_ opist who reportedly once

nffi tHrTl'lrtXTJ#prumnetM'?ster, Mabathir Mohama4 blam-pg 1,m to-r tie South-East Asiu eco_lolnlc mUaDse.

In the pait eiglt yeas hc hm

medical use of marijuana. Two years

?E9l: Ias c-hargedwith importingr+o.grr!t!_of cantrabis into New/:ca nc. He war rcleased without con.vrctron on tbe basis of donatims51,000 to a drug rehabititatioi'pregran.

"'&H*"d*,?,rily,3:*#.agc-cantrabrs law rcform in WA?-Mr snarpe was happy to exDlaitr

liP",-tf i!:FlftT..iiHf H*pouqes of successivc US govcrancncw€re.the most .,Neanderthal"

in thcwond ud tbreatened to makeAmerica the last Dation to get liber-used lam.

"From a setfish perspcctive of wmt-

MPs^Christine Sharp, CEWiiJoi ana

hqve also uscd

gets privateIn 1992 in Wasa

to aD. international

from.tto Billthe Ar

policy reforE that hii"cmployedjournalistsout p!€ss releases butu4.r Prwr rclqlses Dut to gct in1suovcnlves and work with their'Iff:Hi|;ffi,ff:-,fT*

hg billionure,Ldrugs and us

With his support, the-aliance ruasa! hternatioDal gra[ts schcEe forprcjects on "drug policy studics" andravites applications on its websita Italso gives special awards for arcassuch.as.4edical md lcgal work andpoutrcal leadership. Scveral award

ifriffi L"op"* have got up to

- .Apat from Mr Soros, 72, thc otherbry backcrs of the allimce arc Jbhnspcrln&_wlo made billions by creat-ng.tnc Umv€rsity of phoetrix coucgesystcm, lnd Petcr Lewis, retircd CEOor thc Clevcland-bascd progressivcsrporaton lnsuare Comomv._ _AU tbree report$ly_admit to having_s-moked cauabis. Mr Soros oncc said]-I have hied mafijr-na (cannabis) andr cnJoyed it but it did not becomc a,habit lnd I have not tasted it in mmyyears. "

. According to a reccnt Time maca-zhc-cover story Mr Sperling, gl, oncesmoKcd pot to combat pain associated

ffiHffi:"ff$#s,*#l*.pagner for the legalisation of thc

ing to chalge US drug lawg we nccdrcforE in Australi4 or some othertndish-spcating country, to helD upresSwc our legislatorg whiic aEobelieving it's right for Australiaas.

"Amsrie$ are vcry cthno-ccntric,Il Tha^ilanq w9rc to end thc drulFar(r.e. so-ncn rts laws), AmcriFns mightncver hed about it, crept for a ucr-work of drug policy rcform advocatc,a'But if Autralia wcre to dramti-cally change its &ug law* it would bcall wer CNN.and would imDact thcdcbate i! the US so much mdra"_ Mr Soros started the'Lindesmithccntcr ia 1994 as a projcct of hiso_pen-Socicty Institutc, It was -namcdafter AIfted Lindcsmith, thc fust .prominent Americaa !o challcncc

.. coum$onil +ligkirrg on rtrcg foticy_ rts partner in the alliane, ttre DrugPolicy Foudation (DpD, wasfouded itr 1987.. The cxemtive dircctor of theal.liance is fast-t2tLi'g Harrard phDEthan Nadctmrnn, who has visitedAustralia twie

.He-would prcsumably be plcasedwrtn dcvelopmcnts hcrc. In l9g7.South Australia decrimiaatised t'6c hwrclatmg to prescribed amouats ofcannabis, and thc cultivation of a setnuteJ.of. camabis plaats, and simi-la lcg$latson iS iftminelt in WA-, U. ndu- the legislation, cxpected toDc rtrEoduccd inlarliamcnt carly n€)ityear, the possssion of less thu I 59 ofcillaDls an_d_u-p to two plants for per_

monthq over 50 per.cbnt of the main-strcam priatcd ard mdio aad televi-slon rcporting oa alcohol aad drugissucs has bcen gstrcratcd by the foun.dation or fltercC thrcurht it."

Wlcn Weckcnd Extri contactedhim, Mr Stonach lauelcd off thecomcnts as "the worst choice ofwords I evcr made". t" tr"6 s;mFlyhircd two or thrcejournalists to iialwilh thc 4cdia bccausc ..journos

mtaj.k much bettcr to jouraos".

In 1997, Mr Soros said: .lMy soleconccrn itllat thc war on <trugs isaolng utrtotd d:Ir.ge to thc fabric ofour society. (It is) a uiopim drcanDoEc torm of drug.3ddictiori or sub-starre abuse is etdefoic in inost soc!etics. Insisting oa total cradication oforug use can only lead to failue odOlsaPpolntment." '-: r.-.

With that, he cchocs the rcformistmaltra, worldwidc.

_, Hc joined the euse alter foud.ingge Opcn Sciery Institut€ in 1989.r:n9 Esutute's charter was to fud aglo-bat network of Soros foundationsto "traDsform closcd socicties intoo,pen ones and to protect and €xDandthe values o-f existitg open societies".

Iu| lnarn locus was thc East

tion". This itrvolics an accepta.nce thatsomt people will lrse drugs iegardlessor raws atrd must'thcreforc be helDedto do so safely; ahd that illicit drug ue$ a h.^rttr issug.iidJ a criminal matter.i , Mr soros startdd tle Intcrnational

ffi-trtri5s1."#'ff"Tll,o*.Sovietbioc counGcs - ail

rng vcryof tnrj$

car

tlic

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THEWESTAUSTRALIAN SATURDAYNOVEMBER302OO2 5

Weekendextra

This does not Eem leSalisation,only that a proseflted drug lser doesnot incu a dmaging criminal record.This should become the case ia WAnext year,

Opponents of ham reduction poli-cies and decrimiaalisation include ou-€nts of addicts. They argue it sendimixed messages a[d onl'y helps to sus-tain a user's addiction, md can evenresult in their death.

Tbey say abstinence is vital md urgea "toug! love" approach with mmda-tory treatment in an enviroment thatremoves addicts from access to anydrugs.-They see dng courts, plus fm-lty md comuity support, as vital.Drug courts allow the oDtion ofmadatory treatment to-fnes or iail.

Geraldine Mullias, co-foudei oftbe Asualim Puent Movement,speals for them a1l when she expressesconcern about Mr Soros:

"He is powerful md he provides alot of mouey for an hternitional bar-tlo in which Australia is integral and isseen as being one of the mostwimable reform targets.

"Without doubt, the drug-rofommovemoni io Ausualia is closely alliedto tbe Soros-supported movement itthe US, so our efforts ae dwrfed bycomparison.

"To make things worsg thoseresponsible for public health inAustralia have becn clevcrly drawlinto promoting strategies dressed upas omptrsioD but are really aboutcrcating chaos ia the system ud open-lng the way for mabis to eventuallybe sold like alcohol ald tobacco.

"Wc all know thc tenible socialcosts of alcohol md tobacco."

Wendy Herbert, spokeswomm forthe WA Coalition Against Drugs,agrees health officials have done toolittle to highlight the risk of addictionand mental illness in cmlabis use.

Sh€ says the proposed laws will bea "grecn light" to Dormalising thepracuce.

"We believe most children ro betaught to say 'no' if giveD infomatronmd fuily support, ad not merelyhlormauon to supposedty help themuse dngs safely. No drugs ae safe,

"We need a 'say no' approachbacked by tbe law and by-educatiouand irtefleDtio[ for yomg peopleurougn madatory couseuing thatnvotves Iamiltes.

"People with an entrenched drugproblem should be subjected to

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mandatory rehabilitation orders. Der-haps via the Drug Court, to retumtben to a drug free stdte, which most

will welcome when achieve.d- For alltlis to happen, the illegality mst stay.very, very tew leople get qimi!|alrecords for simple dng use d.nyway.':

T N his I 995 autobiography, GeorgcI Soros itritially states he is ,.amos-

I tic" on the big question of ie-gali-sation,

But later ia the book, he says hecould inagine the l€galisatiou of ..lessharmful ?ud less addictive" drucs-!ght lelp society by reducing ftmi-nalty "by dound E0 per cent".

He says canrnbis is non-addictivsbut that is wong. Studies have provddup to I 0 per cent of regula useis cmdevelop dependency.

" . . . I would have a strictly on-trolled distribution nerwork ior suchdrugs and keep pri@s low enough todestroy the drug trade," he says ia theboolc

"Once that was attained" I wouldkeep raisilg the prices, very much likethe excise duty on cigarettes, but Iwould make m exception for regis-tered addicts ir order to discoutagesine."

Part of the tax income woulil go Onprwentlon and tlcatment work. aJrd hewould foster "social opirrobrium" ofmg use.

respiratory diseases; memory damage and decline in otheriot€llectual skills which can particularly affect schoolperiormance and occupatjonal performance in adults: risk ofgiving birth to low-weight babies; toxic psychosis: and increasedrisk of developing schizophrenia.

There can also be a loss of energy and motiyation, knom asamotivational syndrome; depression; reduced libido; andiregulil menstrual cycles.

.. THCS do have anti-nausea properties which cportedty makethe drug useful in some clinical settings, But it ca be fitalwhen combined with alcohol because it suppresses the vomitingretlex in teenagers who smoke aioint or two md drink heavitv.

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Because of its ability to boost appetite, cannabis has beenused as an anti-anorexic agefit for patients with AIDS wastingsyndrome,

But because of potenlially serious side etfecb. theprescription drug in question, Milinol, comes witi mintomation sheet waming that it cil cause seveml ol the acuteefiecb mentioned above, including ,'full btown psychosis".

AfTHE basic level, cannabis can cause feelings of mildeuphoria, relaxation, lime distortion and intensifcation ofordinary sensory experiences. people can ds become quietand reflective, or sleepy. Thebe effects are due to lhe proacliveaoent in cannabis, known as TIC (Delta g-tetrahydrocilnabinoD.

But there can be mily other effecb, includind serious risks, '

especially wheE regular to heaw use is involved. They fall intotwo categories, of acute and chronic eftects.

Acute etfecta are those that occur after a small dose or asmall number of times of usa

They include heightened appetite (the,,munchies"): reddenino0f the whites of the eyes; feetings of anxiety, panic andpffioia; impaiment of short-term memory and concentntionspan, such tiat it becomes dangerous to drive a motor vehicle0r opeEte machinery; ild posible psychotic symptoms, such6 nailuctnatons.

Chronic effects are those which can occur afrer a period ofregular use (daily use over a period of yem or decades).

These include posible cannabis addictioni probable

tWjtkoat doubt, flst;drag-reform movement in

AusWlia is' closely allledto the Soras-supportedmovement in the us, soour elforts are dwsrfedby comparison.'- Geraldine Mallins,co-founder of the AustralianParent Movement,

But Mr Soros also had m eye topublic opinion and had gauged it not.ready fot legalisation..trIe said. ,:attempts to go agailst the 'pravailing

consensus" woul{_be only @utter-procucEve.

Mrs Miillits says the controlled salcof drugs, with ta:r re@ipts ucd toteat health problcms, is putting thecart bcforc the horso.

"It's what wc do with the Quit m-paigq" she sid- "Wby. htrod@ aEaryitiug eatribb€at tho sladicine? \Thc sery phrt is that his Iogicappcals. "

Dr AIex Wodak director of Alcoholaad Drug Semiies at St Vtic€ni'sIlospital asd a lcadi[g Austaliat drugIaF re.fore'; qys-csbabis is a ..rela_tively hilmless d$g.that shouid besold o[ a tared adregulaJed]bsis,Iike alcohol and tobac.o"-

Cmdntly, only criminals ald cor-rupt police worc bmeftiag. lhcywould be climinrted from the cqutionif the salc of euabis were tixe-d mdre!,lilated.: , l

But h€ would not say the "L-, word-"The status of a.furg doceait reallyteU you how it's conhollc4" he said."Cocaine is an illegal drug that caD beused lcgally in inedicine and alcohol.isa legal drug that can be uscd illerallv.So I am choosing my words iarciuUj'."

No doubt, with pols showing 6O lercent of Austalias opposed to.th6legalisatioa of cannabis

At the Drug Policy Aliime's USoffc, Ethm.Nadclmenn frsally sgygit's all about tactics.

"Ou policy is to tax and regulatctlie qale of Eaijuaua TXe rcilo! wc .don't like to say lcgalisation is that, tothe publig it souds likE you ai! con-doning. If you ask pedple if thoy wutto legalise carabis, 20 Fer ent willsay ycs But when you ask if theywould support a policy to lil, cortrolud regulate it like alcohol,40 pcr ceatwru say yes.

"So (people) are responding to thecoDnotation df a word, ratlei thm tothc subitane of the policy." .

Meatrwhile, Mr Soros has eio-paigned hard for thc legalised ue ofcamabis ai a medical palliative,apparently bceuse he thinks it is awimablc first stcp.

He has fuaded lcgislative efforts inseveral US States, with some success.But aD Arizola bid ended r€mkablyin 1996.

A BiIl became law until legislatorsrealised it was written tq iflclude notjuit canrabis but I 16 other SchcdileOne drugs, including LSD and heroi:r.Aaother Bill was quickly passed toscap the whole ida.

The affair had Republicaa member,Mike Gudaer, wondelitg aloud:"Why should a New York nilliouire(Soros) be writing tle laws in

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Aizoafl"

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Mr Soros rsplied, via,the ncdij: .1Ilive in one place but I consider myselfa citizen of the world. I have fouoa-tiom in 30 cgwiaies ud I believe cer-t2in uiversal principles applyeverywhere : including Arizoaa."