days.

American experts are now putting the finishing touches to a plan for a specialised court to deal with drug offenders.

And the National Drug Commission said it would spend weeks reviewing the report and making refinements.

Then they will present the final proposal to Cabinet so the idea can be presented to Parliament.

NDC executive director Dr. Derek Binns said he expected the report from five American University officials, based in Washington DC, "any day now''.

He said the five -- who visited Bermuda last month -- were drawing up an implementation plan for the court.

"We should be in receipt of their report some time soon and then we will have to go through it very closely,'' said Dr. Binns.

"It's now been a few weeks since the team left the Island and we're hoping to make progress on this issue as soon as possible.'' The NDC commissioned the report from the university's justice programme office, who assigned a specialist study team to the task.

The academics called in experts in drug coordination from across the US to help them compile the report and Dr. Binns said their blueprint would be presented to the board of the NDC.

He added: "Once the report is received and refined, we will present it to Cabinet.

"Then, if the idea is approved, we will establish a committee to oversee this plan and make it work for Bermuda.

"The importance of a drugs court for this Island cannot be underestimated.

"Data suggests to us that a number of people who enter our prison system do so on a continual basis and many have a drug problem that's directly related to their criminal activities.

"The idea behind a drugs court is to provide offenders with treatment and rehabilitation rather than imprisonment.

"We need to treat the issue and the issue here is substance abuse. The court would significantly reduce the number of people who go to prison with a drug habit.'' The five-member team from American University spent several days in Bermuda in mid-January to finish their study.

They had already been to Bermuda twice to examine the Island's Police and legal structure.