A unified approach to battling drug and alcohol abuse has failed to unite Members of Parliament.

Government claims the National Drug Commission Act 1993 will create a non-political organisation to combat all aspects of Bermuda's drug problem.

But Opposition members claim they have not been given sufficient representation on the body.

The debate on second reading adjourned shortly before 5 p.m., before MPs had moved into committee to consider the bill clause by clause. Several MPs are still expected to speak on the principle of the bill next Friday before committee deliberation begins.

Health Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness introduced the bill to the House of Assembly yesterday stating that the setting up of the National Drug Commission was the main recommendation of the National Drug Strategy or Archibald Report.

Mr. Edness said: "The aim is to reduce abuse of alcohol and drugs. In order to do that we need a simultaneous and concerted effort from all sectors of the community.'' The Commission will deal with education, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, enforcement, control, information, research and international co-operation.

"This includes legal and illegal drugs. It is highlighted that alcohol is included in the definition of a drug. Even though it is legal it is a drug that is abused more than illicit drugs,'' Mr. Edness said.

"It is right that we should be as concerned, or even more so, about alcohol in the community than drugs.'' Mr. Edness said members of the Commission would be made on the recommendation of the Premier and appointed by the Governor. The leader of the Opposition would be consulted.

He said: "It should be a board that every Bermudian has a great deal of confidence in. If the political parties are at odds over this it will reduce the effectiveness and do the community a disservice.'' There will also be four non-voting members to assist the board including the Permanent Secretary of Health and a representative of the Commissioner of Police.

Mr. Edness said: "The spirit of this particular bill requires the co-operation of all Bermuda. Drugs and related crime is probably the worst problem facing us.

"We have a responsibility to the children that they do not come up and become victims of drugs and their horrific and menacing results.'' Shadow Health Minister Mr. Nelson Bascome agreed the drug culture has devastated society.

Mr. Bascome stated that he did not want to appear to be just criticising the bill, but he said he felt there were areas that need to be amended including the heavy involvement by the Minister in all sections of the Act.

He said: "There are quite trivial areas which do not need the Minister's approval.'' The Shadow Minister said the Progressive Labour Party had been given only two weeks to look at the bill and that was at the start of the busy Budget debate.

Mentioning one PLP idea, Mr. Bascome said: "Funds that are confiscated in drug cases could be sent directly to the Commission to help fight drug abuse.'' National Liberal Party leader Mr. Gilbert Darrell called for more action to stop the import of drugs into Bermuda.

Mr. Darrell said: "We have tried to close off the flow of drugs from the cruise ships but there are still some loopholes. There are still drugs being picked up by small vessels.

"We have still got to get a lot tighter than we are doing. There is a long list of VIPs who can come into our country untouched.'' Mr. Darrell agreed with Mr. Bascome's idea to use funds confiscated in drug cases for the Commission.

And he too called for a non-partisan board. He said: "The residents of this country want a facility that is non-partisan but the Government has done the usual thing. It has to be seen to be fair.'' Opposition Leader Mr. Freddie Wade said: "As a party we have been prepared to start a real war on drugs and developing a strategy that will deal efficiently with the problems that drugs cause in the community.

"But we have been frustrated with all our attempts by the Government to bring this war on drugs to a start.'' Mr. Wade said the PLP had made nine suggestions for members of committees looking into the Commission but only three were appointed compared to more than 20 Government-appointed members.

He said: "Government wants to dictate policy and procedures and they want everybody else to go along like lemmings to their death. The way the bill is set out means that the Commission is the Minister's puppet. They move to his whims.

"We reserve the right to go to the public whenever the Commission is appearing to go down the hill for the Government's own selfish purpose. The public will be the jury. It should be an open door Commission.'' Mr. Stuart Hayward (Ind) said that the bill failed to cover root issues which he believes the Commission will face.

Mr. Hayward said: "Why do people become involved in drugs? When they are moving towards pleasure and trying to get away from pain. For many Bermudians living in this country is getting to be more painful.

"The other reason is money. Selling drugs is a lucrative business. In fact the purveyors of legal drugs are a considerable force in this Country. The income of a large proportion of this populace is based on alcohol and prescription drugs.'' Mr. Hayward asked the Government to stop the media publicising the value of illegal drugs in court cases because it encouraged people to get involved in smuggling.

He called for more emphasis on prevention and parenting education to be practised by professionals like doctors.

Mr. Hayward said the Country should make the most of its role models by erecting statues and temples to inspire young people.

Minister of Finance the Hon. David Saul pointed out that funding of the Commission would be subject to the same rules as all other Government quangoes. It will be reported as part of the budget.

Dr. Saul said the Government had nothing to do with the publication of drug values in Bermuda. He said: "It is normally introduced by the prosecution in order to put across the seriousness of the case. The Government shares the view that seeing a particular figure might encourage a malcontent to get involved.'' He said he believed that it would be fundamentally wrong to split the Commission up along straight political lines.

Dr. Saul said: "The Government feels that this piece of legislation is the best we can do thus far. It can be improved upon over time.'' Bermuda probably has more alcoholics per capita than the rest of the world, Mr. Reginald Burrows (PLP) speculated.

And, he said, he hoped the Commission would first come to grips with problems associated with the "legal'' drug.

"If one looks at history, I think we will readily find alcohol use and abuse is the root of all of our drug problems,'' Mr. Burrows said.

"Alcohol has caused more problems in our society than all the illicit drugs put together.'' Noting that alcohol is very accessible and its consumption is "phenomenal'', Mr. Burrows said: "Until we're willing to grapple with this problem, we will never be able to solve the problem of illicit drug use''.

He said he was very concerned about the "increasing'' number of businesses applying for liquor licences each year.

"Some guidelines should be set down as to where, when and how liquor licences should be granted because we all realise we are overserved with liquor licence establishments in Bermuda.'' Mr. Burrows also stressed that it was important for the commission to educate and encourage people, particularly youth, so they do not turn to illicit drugs or alcohol.

"I would hope that they (commission members) will be so successful that they will make these merchants of death bankrupt,'' he added. "That is the only way that this (legislation) is going to be effective in our community.'' Calling the debate one of the most important the House will have, Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan agreed that alcohol has had a "detrimental'' effect on the community -- particularly the family unit.

But, he said, the solution rested with individuals, not institutions.

Noting that studies have shown that no country has had high success with drug interdiction, Sir John said there was a need to look into the depths of sociological aspects that have made society the way it is.

The Criminal Justice Report and the Drug Commission were attempts to do this and build a fair society, he added.

"Does it (society) give individuals a sense of belonging, of being cared for, or a sense that that the individual will achieve something in life without turning to alcohol or illicit drugs? "The institutions will only help them to make wise choices. It will not be the solution.

"At the end of the day, what people have to understand is this problem can only be solved where there is individual action.

"This action can become collective in household and in the Country. But first the individual must feel that he is part of something positive and does not need drugs to survive.'' Sir John said the composition of the commission should not matter, but what Bermudians were prepared to do as individuals should.

"The commission is just one step,'' he added. "We must not make it the end all and be all because it is up to us (to solve the Island's drug problems).

Sir John said he was calling on everyone to support the commission and to make sure it is given "the tools to make a difference''.

"Hopefully, this will be the biggest organ to snuff out those things that it is suppose to do,'' he added.

Mr. Eugene Blakeney (PLP) said his party would support the bill even though there were some things the PLP felt should have been done differently.

Noting the Premier's comments about drug interdiction, he said interdiction was difficult because the drug trade was a multi-billion or trillion-dollar businesses that is reported to be supported by powerful families and companies who appeared to be respectable.

Educating the public, particularly the young about the dangers of drug abuse was probably the only way to reduce demand for drugs, he added.

Mr. Blakeney said alcohol could have been mentioned more in the bill since drug abuse usually began with "a little drink''.

"One of the problems that encourage our young people to become involved with drugs is the quick buck, peer pressure and some social problems,'' he said.

"The commission needs to get the information out to educate our young people.'' Mr. Blakeney added: "We are lucky we don't have more alcoholics. We probably would have many more alcoholics if it were not for the type of diet in our country''.

Calling the bill another attempt to deal with an on-going problem, Mr. David Dyer (UBP) said it was imperative that the community understood it could not prevent everyone from abusing substances.

"Even if Government decided to ban alcohol tomorrow, everyone has the basic ingredients in their home to produce the drug,'' he said. "So no-one can stop people from engaging in things that are forbidden.'' Noting that youngsters in societies all over the world are becoming addicted to solvents like glue and household cleaners, Dr. Dyer said: "I don't know if anyone can easily point a finger at society at large. Man has always and will continue to have a fruitful mind and find ways to engage in forbidden activities''.

"For every one (drug) we get rid of, there will be a new one on the market,'' he added.

While saying the commission was not a a panacea for all ills, Dr. Dyer said he hoped the commission would further educate the public about how to deal with substance abuse.

Accusing the PLP of having to be "dragged kicking and screaming into taking part in the National Drug Strategy, he said he also hoped the public would "continue to embarrass them to keep them involved'' because the drug problem is too big for Government alone.

"The principle of the bill is good and Government is committed to seeing it becomes a reality,'' Dr. Dyer added.

"I will stand behind Government and see that they will go ahead with any recommendation made by the commission.'' Mr. Eugene Cox (PLP) said Dr. Dyer had distorted the truth about the PLP's position on the drug strategy.

The PLP supported the first Archibald Report in "totality'', he said. It only opposed the second report because it felt it would be wasting public funds.

"However,'' Mr. Cox said, "when everyone felt that the job of the Archbald Report would not be fully completed (without the second report) we decided to go ahead with our support.'' Mr. Cox said his party also supported the drug commission. But he said they had reservations in some areas because the drug situation on the Island was very complex and contradictory.

Noting the number of liquor stores on Front Street alone, Mr. Cox said this will have to change.

But, he said Bermuda's economy relies on the sale of liquor and cigarettes for revenue raised through sin taxes.

"So we're taking the money from these so called sin taxes and rehabilitating the sinning that's going on,'' he said. "That's why it's a complex issue because we have factored it into our economy.

"If we want to influence our youth and have role models for them, And if we want them to stop abusing alcohol or illicit drugs, while they see our economy is based on the sale of alcohol, then we are sending mixed signals.'' Mr. Cox also accused the Government of not taking strong action against the sale of liquor out of fear of losing political seats.

He said Mr. Edness should have included regulations with the bill to give some direction to the commission and to provide guidelines for businesses on how to deal with drug addiction in the workplace.

But first, Mr. Cox said, the commission should try to benefit from research on drug abuse in other countries.

And he added: "If we are to see success and a real meaningful programme or process put in place, we must make sure that adequate funding is in place so that those things that need to be done are done as soon as possible''.

He also urged Mr. Edness to make sure the commission's reports come out within a reasonable amount of time -- "preferably within six months or less''.

But Delegated Affairs Minister the Hon. Sir John Sharpe praised Mr. Edness for having the "patience, consistency, and determination'' to see the bill through.

"Anything worth doing takes a long time,'' he said. "There's no instant solution to anything.'' Sir John said the bill was an instrument to better coordinate the three factors in drug abuse -- prevention, reduction of demand and rehabilitation, and interdiction.

"I don't question the sincerity of the Progressive Labour Party on the issue of drugs,'' he said. "But I have to say they seem to have a problem in supporting Government initiatives for solving the drug problem.'' Noting the PLP had promised to produce its own national drugs policy, Sir John said it was a good thing Government had not held its breath.

"But at least they presented names for the interim steering committee,'' he added, "and Government accepted some of them.'' He said this will also be the case when members of the commission are appointed.

Sir John stressed that members should not be appointed because of political affiliations, but rather due to their interest and ability to contribute to the commission.

He said he believed that he composition of the interim steering committee meets this "litmus test''.

Sir John also noted Government will be responsible regardless of who is appointed to the commission.

"I think we all accept that the abuse of drugs and alcohol is certainly a killer,'' Sir John added. "But worse than that it decimates whole families and has the capacity to decimate the whole community. That is why it is important that we pool our resources to tackle this very difficult problem.'' Shadow Delegated Affairs Minister Mr. Stanley Morton said philosophical speeches were fine, but in practice, "this problem of drugs will be with us for a long time''.

"The basis of Bermuda's economy is built upon the income, upon the tax returns, upon the licence fees from alcohol, from drugs,'' Mr. Morton said.

Last year, Government took in $300,000 from alcohol licence fees alone, he said.

Many groups and individuals were doing good work in fighting the problem, but he saw nobody "really prepared to fight to the core of this problem'', particularly in the area of drug imports.

"This Country has a history of benefitting from evil things such as rum running'' and a Hamilton mayor was refused entry to the United States during Prohibition "because of his participation in this illicit business'', Mr.

Morton said.

How much money one makes tends to determine one's status, not how it is made, he said.

While Government makes philosophical speeches, it relies on income from alcohol, and he challenged it to curtail the amount of alcohol that could be imported to Bermuda or the number of outlets that could sell it.

A better relationship was needed between Government and the Opposition on the issue, but the PLP was criticised and "held to ransom by the Government'' if it did not agree "in every detail'' on a sensitive issue.

The role of the commission was "ideally suited for the fight that we have as a nation'', Mr. Morton said.

But people tended to rationalise the question of drugs. "Merely smoking cigarettes...these areas of involvement are steps toward the greater step of being involved in substance abuse.'' Now there was talk of casinos in Bermuda, Mr. Morton said. "You rationalise one abuse and you bring in another.'' He said Government should not assume the PLP would only recommend party supporters to sit on the commission.

"We are prepared to select the best person for the job...whether they are in our party or not.'' Mr. Edness then moved that the debate adjourn.

The Hon. Quinton Edness Mr. Nelson Bacome Mr. Gilbert Darrell The Hon. Sir John Sharpe Mr. Eugene Cox.