The first XV that nobody wanted

By KEVIN TAYLOR political reporter

The Government has named 15 areas of New Zealand it says are the "worst-affected" by P and other illicit drugs.

Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton yesterday announced a $2.55 million anti-drug initiative targeting the areas, most of which are in the upper North Island.

Mr Anderton said fighting the war against P - the pure form of methamphetamine - and other illicit drugs had become easier because the worst-affected areas would now have "action on the ground".

The list resulted from work by Massey University's Centre for Social Health Outcomes, Research and Evaluation and the university's Whariki Maori research team.

Information used to make the list included police apprehension numbers, school drug suspension statistics, Ministry of Social Development social deprivation and youth unemployment numbers, and information from treatment centres.

Centre director Professor Sally Casswell said there were many other areas of the country that were probably in as much need.

"It was very, very hard to settle in on the final 15. Some of it was definitely to do with whether there were providers in those communities who were able to do the job."

But she said the 15 chosen areas had high youth unemployment, high apprehension rates for drugs and large numbers of school suspensions.

The programme has already successfully run in Opotiki, Hokianga, Whangaruru, Nelson and Kaitaia.

The Community Action on Youth and Drugs (Cayad) programme has already started in all but one of the areas, however the list was only released yesterday.

Professor Casswell said the programme's objectives were to reduce demand and cut supply.

The programme was tailored to each area and involved educating the community to tackle the problem. Examples include:

* Encouraging the community to talk about how to tackle the problem in their area.

* Looking at community drug policies - like how a school responds to student drug use.

* Cutting supplies by encouraging reporting of drug operations - for example a tinny house in a residential street.

Green MP Nandor Tanczos said the party supported the programme's expansion.

"The Greens have been calling for increased funding of demonstrably effective drug education since 1999 and successfully negotiated $450,000 over three years for the development of drug education in a 2002 Budget initiative."

Mr Tanczos said he attended a national hui of Cayad project workers during the last parliamentary term and had been a strong supporter since then.

P epidemic

Areas "worst affected" by drugs which will get a Government-funded anti-drugs programme:

* Whangarei, West Auckland, Waitakere City, Clendon/Manurewa, Central Auckland, Otahuhu, Otara/Papatoetoe, Huntly/Morrinsville, Tauranga/West Bay of Plenty, Whakatane, Tairawhiti, Horowhenua, Wanganui, Dunedin.

* Hastings-based regional service

Programme currently runs in: Opotiki, Hokianga

Whangaruru, Nelson, Kaitaia.

Herald Feature: The P epidemic