Pubdate: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 Source: Reuter ZURICH, Sept 28 (Reuter) Switzerland voted against changing its drug prevention programme to ban addicts from receiving narcotics on a controlled basis, according to preliminary referendum results on Sunday reported by Swiss media. Roughly 70 percent of voters, according to an early vote count of 11 of Switzerland's 26 cantons, voted against a change, Swiss television and radio reported. Sponsors of the ``Youth Without Drugs'' referendum initiative to change drug policy included the rightist Swiss People's Party, the Liberal Democrats and a number of Swiss athletes and former athletes. The current programme makes hard drugs, including heroin, available to some addicts to help ease their way back into society. It also offers some addicts methadone or other substances in an effort to keep them from buying illegal drugs. Some addicts may also receive hypodermic syringes. Those in such programmes are judged not likely to benefit from immediate withdrawal. Besides the Swiss cabinet, much of parliament had opposed the referendum, which appeared to have been defeated. Thomas Zeltner, director of the Swiss Federal Health Agency, commenting on the preliminary results, said they meant that the Swiss population in general understood what the programme was about and agreed with it. ``It (the outcome of the votes) means the population does in fact recognise that the successes of the last years for the drug policy were important and that we...can continue in this direction, building up the policy,'' he told Swiss radio. Switzerland adopted the existing antidrug measures after rampant drug use in several cities led to rising crime rates and widespread public consumption in some pedestrian zones. 09:28 092897