Startling AIDS statistics underscore the need to get the National Drug Commission up and running as soon as possible.

This was stressed yesterday by Government Sen. Jerome Dill who steered the 1993 National Drug Commission Act through the Upper House.

Sen. Dill called the bill, that sets out the make up and functions of the statutory body, "the most important piece of legislation that has been brought before the Senate to protect the lives of our young people''.

And he revealed the Island's latest AIDS figures to emphasise the need for such a body.

Up to the end of last month 226 were known to be living with AIDS, Sen. Dill said.

There were two new cases reported in May alone. And the disease has claimed 185 lives.

"If that is not startling,'' Sen. Dill said, "70 percent of the people suffering or who have died from AIDS were under 39 years.'' About 50 percent of those with AIDS contracted the virus through intravenous drug use, he added.

"We are dealing with a very serious situation. And the 11-member Commission must be set up as soon as practically possible.'' Sen. Dill also noted that UBP Sen. Wendell Hollis' disclosure that more than $8.1 million worth of drugs was seized in Bermuda last year was only a conservative estimate.

Using the international system of calculating the value of illegal drugs imported, Sen. Dill said the street value of drugs seized last year was probably about $80 million.

And, he said, that was still a conservative estimate compared to the unknown, actual amount imported.

"We must move forward swiftly and in the spirit of bipartisanship,'' Sen.

Dill stressed.

He also pointed out that the Act included alcohol as a drug.

And he said: "That represents a philosophical change in approach in the way we are going to deal with alcohol because we recognise that the scourge of illicit drugs and alcohol have very similar, if not the same, negative results''.

Sen. Dill said the commission will be an umbrella group, bringing together a wide-range of resources and services in Bermuda to deal with the "scourge of drugs''.

Within six months of the end of its financial year, the commission will have to present a report to the Health Minister.

And the Minister will have the right to make directions to the body.

However, Sen. Dill said, each direction the Minister makes must be included in the commission's annual report.

"The Minister will not behave as a bully boy.'' Despite proposals that money from drug seizures should go to the commission, Sen. Dill said this would not be in the best interest of the commission.

Because while the amount of seizures is high, he said, there is no guarantee that one will be able to seize proceeds from drug trafficking every day.

Sen. Dill praised the National Drug and Alcohol Agency (NADA) for starting the ball rolling in the war against drugs some eight years ago. And he also praised the National Drug Strategy's Interim Steering Committee for paving the way for the commission.

Not only did it get all the political parties involved in the process, Sen.

Dill said, it also set up a community-relations programme.

Opposition Senate Leader Sen. Alex Scott agreed with Sen. Dill that the bill was very important.

But he said it would be "nonsense'' to believe politics was not a part of the drugs issue.

Noting Sen. Dill's observation that 10 years had passed since the Governor signed an Act that started the ball rolling in Bermuda's war against drugs, Sen. Scott said: "I fear that Government is in danger of studying our young people to death''.

"The longer we study, the longer we prepare, the longer we are agonising over what we're going to do, time passes and people die. We are studying our young people to death.'' Sen. Scott said the founders of NADA were frustrated by "the bureaucratic control they found'' when it was set up.

Noting that it was answerable to the Premier, he said it was reported that NADA officials could hardly ever get in touch with the Premier.

Sen. Scott said NADA leaders were so frustrated that they called for Government consultant Dr. David Archibald to be brought back to Bermuda.

"NADA was frustrated by governmental control and tampering,'' he said. "Yes, politics was involved long before Mr. Wade made his statement.'' "We're being political on the part of those who are trying to get a job done,'' he added.

"We don't want to study our young people to death because they are brothers and sisters and sons and daughters and some will never become fathers and mothers and make contributions to this community because we are losing them.'' Sen. Scott said while the PLP recognised that Government must have control in the process, "we prefer to see the control manifested through their appointees. We see the involvement of the Minister too much''.

He asked if it were in the best interests of the commission for Government to have so much control and influence over it. The commission's chief executive should be selected by the board and not by Government.

He added: "Rumour has it that the role of the EAP (Employment Assistance Programme) may be such that it will be involved in the treatment aspect of this programme down the road.'' There was money in drug treatment and consultancy, he said. "We suggest that we should move cautiously.'' Sen. Wendell Hollis (UBP) said everyone should be a soldier in the war against drugs. He praised plans to allow people to get their family members help for drug problems without them necessarily having to face the law.

It was disgraceful when the drug commission was made a political issue, he said. When fighting a war politics should cease.

Sen. Trevor Woolridge (PLP) said the Opposition was loyal in the fight, but would not follow blindly. It was a tendency of the UBP Government to attack those who disagreed with it.

Government members with businesses were by and large very successful, but it was a shame they did not take the same care in running the country.

The commission should be composed in a way that encouraged trust, he said.

Ministers and Government senators were guilty of political grandstanding and pointing fingers.

He called on fathers and mothers to use "tough love'' in the battle against drugs.

Government Senate leader the Hon. Sen. Mike Winfield said the history of the commission so far showed how Government had consulted the community and tried to involve as broad a section as possible.

NADA had achieved a "tremendous amount'', he said, but the drugs war was evolving.

"The PLP has continued to attempt to gain political advantage on this issue when no such attempt should be made.'' Government had to be accountable to the people when spending their money and that responsibility could not be delegated.

"We're creating as independent a body as we can in these circumstances.'' Sen. Norma Astwood (Ind) said a large number of middle-aged people were also involved in substance abuse.

She pointed out the cost of drug abuse, not only to families and friends, but to public funds and the national balance of payments.

A fair amount of unpaid child maintenance had gone to buy drugs, she felt. She declared: "There is no reason why alcohol could not be defined as illegal.'' And she reminded senators of the possible effects of coffee, cola, nutmeg, poppy seeds and aerosol gases.

Government Sen. Maxwell Burgess said he hoped that once the commission is in place, politicians will let it get on with its job.

"Who has a member on the commission is not important,'' he stressed. "The task of the commission will be done to the best of their ability.

"I'm not prepared to have us sit here arguing over this legislation and delaying it while young people are falling through the cracks.'' Concerning the Health Minister's involvement with the commission, Sen. Burgess said it was not unreasonable to give limited powers to the Minister since funding for the commission will come under his Ministry.

The senator added that if Bermuda is successful in reducing the demand for drugs, suppliers will find themselves out of work.

Agreeing that the war on drugs was important, Opposition Sen. Ira Philip the PLP was "interested in fighting a real war on drug and alcohol abuse, not a phony one''.

"We are at the implementation stage after a long period of costly studies,'' he said, adding that the fight against drug abuse is "one in which unity is desirable''.

But, Sen. Philip said, that did not mean the Opposition had to abandon its role when it saw flaws in legislation.

"If we waited until after the implementation stage to point out defects, our credibility would be in serious question,'' he said. "We will put ourselves in a ridiculous position as Government finds itself with the broadcast regulations.'' However, Sen. Philip said the PLP did not see the need to list all the "shortcomings'' of the bill which were pointed out by Opposition members in the House.

The senator also accused the UBP Government of having one eye on the drug issue and one eye on the impending election.

He said this was backed up by the amount of "unwarranted attacks that have been emanating from The Royal Gazette '' recently.

"While the governing people give us the impression that they are coming here with their hands washed of politics, The Royal Gazette is working overtime.'' Referring to criticisms about the PLP and boards, he said: "If the Government members are so politically naive as not to understand why we in the Opposition feel it is not appropriate for shadow Ministers to be advising Government on their boards, they're either very naive or mischievous''.

Sen. Philip said the PLP have also been unjustifiably attacked by the chairman of the interim steering committee of the National Drug Authority.

But, he said, "we are trying to demonstrate our concern, our sense of urgency, and are preparedness to do anything we can to fight this war on drugs''.

Youth Minister Sen. Pamela Gordon pointed out that "from day one'' most members of the Opposition did not want to be a part of the National Drug Strategy.

They were going to produce their own report, she recalled.

"As a Government we have to be seen to be above party politics,'' Sen. Gordon said, adding that she welcomed the Opposition willingness to "now'' help fight the war on drugs.

"Better late than never,'' she said.

Sen. Gordon also said she believed the bill "will assist this country to help many of the young people out there who seem to have a misunderstanding in terms of material goods and where they are going''.

She said many of those dealing with drugs do so as a way of making money because they have limited skills or because they have a desire to impress their friends.

"Every effort by every citizen willing to participate (in the war against drugs) in a reasonable way is appreciated and welcomed,'' she added.

Senate President the Hon. Albert Jackson said there could be no argument against the importance of the bill and he said he wished the commission well.

But he asked that consideration be given to whether the Health Minister, who already has "one of the heaviest'' portfolios will be able to cope with matters related to the administration of the commission.

And Sen. Jackson said while he was pleased to see alcohol included in the bill's definition of a drug, there was a need to be concerned about the availability of alcohol.

"I have some worry about new licences being granted to businesses in this community,'' he said. "Each new opportunity providing for access to this substance in my view contributes to the abuse of this substance and the related price that has to be paid by an individual, by a family, and by the community at large.

"So I do hope that if we are going to be serious about illicit substances, that due regard is given to the matter of how easy it is going for people, young and old, to have access to such substances.'' Responding Sen. Dill said: "I certainly will take on board everything that you have said and your observation about the Minister is certainly one that I will take to the appropriate person''.