Druggies paid to talk

Chief Minister Clare Martin has backed a government program giving $30 to young Territorians in exchange for details about their drug use.

The Department of Health and Community Services is running a confidential survey of regular ecstasy users in the Palmerston and Darwin region.

It is designed to reveal details about the party drugs that are available and what effect they are having on young people.

Concentrating on people 16 years and older, the survey involved face-to-face interviews – in exchange for $30 cash.

A flyer posted around the regions said: “The interview asks about the drugs you have used recently, their price and purity, and the positive and negative things associated with their use.”

CLP leader Denis Burke tabled the flyer in Parliament last week.

He said it was a waste of taxpayers’ money and paid users to feed their habits.

In Parliament yesterday, Ms Martin supported the survey.

“To tackle the problem, we have to understand it,” she said.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Tue, 10 May 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Paul Dyer
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/283