The Wellington Coroner has called for a much tougher anti-drugs message aimed at young people following inquests into the deaths of six people in their teens and 20s who inhaled butane or propane.
Coroner Garry Evans says the current official policy of harm minimisation, which accepts that young people will take drugs and tries to make it safer, sends the wrong message.
Evans says harm minimisation should be replaced by a tougher policy that aims to stop drug use entirely. He criticised the over-emphasis on teaching people how to take drugs safely and says there should be high profile anti-drug campaigns similar to those on smoking and drink driving.
Evans also says more funding is needed for specialist agencies to carry out drug education in schools.
Welltrust, a Secondary school drug and alcohol support service, supports Evans conclusions.
Welltrust's executive director Pauline Gardiner says since the official drugs policy was introduced 15 years ago New Zealand has become one of the highest drug-using nations in the world.
However, the New Zealand Drug Foundation has condemned the coroner's report. Executive Director Ross Bell says Evan's conclusions don't add up. He says the harm minimisation policy includes trying to get children off drugs but that's not always possible.
The chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Drug Policy, Jim Anderton, says a tougher line is being taken on drugs.
