Source: Stuttgarter Nachrichten Pubdate: 7 Nov 1998 Website: http://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de Copyright: 1998 Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Germany Author: Arnold Rieger Translator: Pat Dolan, from German Note: Where possible, we will try to link to the original article in translated posts. If we can not, we are unable, for technical reasons (some of our software eats non-U.S. keyboard characters) to provide the original article. However, if seeing the original of a specific article is important, please just drop me a note, and I will send it to you as I have the time. - Richard Lake VETTER WILL DROGENKRANKEN HEROIN GEBEN VETTER WANTS TO GIVE HEROIN TO SICK ADDICTS Precis: Another German politician has broken with his party's hard line on (the war on) drugs policy and has come down decisively on the side of a trial of the Swiss model of heroin distribution to hard core addicts. His reasons are two-fold: on compassionate grounds, (it is not humane to lock up sick people on ideological grounds); and because the Swiss model has proved conclusively that it works; that it reduces significantly the social harm caused by the hard line policy. Scheidender CDU-Sozialminister fordert Modellversuch nach Schweizer Vorbild The departing CDU Minister for Social Affairs asks for a trial model after the Swiss example Stuttgart Drug addicts who have failed to respond to other forms of therapy should be able to obtain heroin from a doctor, in the opinion of Erwin Vetter, the departing Minister for Social Affairs. With that he makes a clean break with his party's hard line position." I mustn't let these people down on ideological grounds," said Vetter at his final press conference as Minister for Social Affairs, and asked for a trial model after the Swiss example in which the distribution of heroin under strict medical control would be tested. Up to this point there have always been idelological obstacles - even in his own party. He felt sure, however, that his successor, Fridhelm Repnik, would take up the discussion." Pointing out the success achieved by the Swiss model, reduction in crime, vagrancy, unemployment and improvements in the general health of the participants, Vetter asked for a more unified drug policy under the direction of an agency in which representatives of the police and concerned authorities and institutions would participate. "Drug politics are the concern of all Europe, not just of a little Baden-Wurtembergisher island", he said. He hopes that interested communities will be able to join the experiment as soon as the new government - as announced - has laid down the legal parameters. - --- Checked-by: Richard Lake