Paris, Monday, November 30, 1998

Swiss Voters Turn Down

Legalization Of Narcotics

Measure Sought to Cut Drug-Related Crime

Through State Control

By Elizabeth Olson New York Times Service

GENEVA - Swiss voters decisively rejected on Sunday a

radical measure to legalize marijuana, heroin and cocaine,

turning aside arguments that a government-managed

narcotics network would curb drug-related crime.

The proposal would have allowed any Swiss resident over

18 years old to buy narcotics at state-approved pharmacies

after consulting a doctor.

Nearly 74 percent of voters rejected the initiative, which

had been expected to fail, but not to such an overwhelming

extent.

''It was a surprise,'' said Francois Reusser, spokesman for

the committee that launched the initiative ''for a sensible

drug policy.''

''Voters reacted emotionally to the heroin aspect,'' he said.

But Mr. Reusser said he hoped lawmakers would still

consider liberalizing the use and possession of cannabis,

which federal statistics indicate is regularly consumed by

some 500,000 people in Switzerland.

If some of the marijuana smokers had gone to the polls, Mr.

Reusser said, the outcome might have been different. ''It's

too easy to buy cannabis here, or to smoke it on the road, or

people would have voted,'' he said.

Despite that, he said the committee, backed by Socialists,

medical doctors, lawyers and drug experts, would consider

a new campaign to collect the signatures necessary to force

a ballot vote on legalizing cannabis.

Government officials said the vote confirmed Switzerland's

policy of battling against illicit drugs, but also aiding the

worst-off addicts through a program that gives heroin and

methadone to a controlled group of abusers. This nation of

7 million has an estimated 30,000 to 36,000 hard-drug

addicts, one of the worst problems in Europe.

Thomas Zeltner, chief of the federal health department, said

Bern was ready to review policies on soft drugs, which

include marijuana and hashish. The government is

proposing new laws on drugs to be drawn up next year.

''There's a big gap between the legal regulation of cannabis

and reality,'' Mr. Zeltner said. ''We need to take some

steps.'' He noted that solutions for consumption might be

different from those for cultivation and sale of cannabis.

Unlike many other European countries, Swiss authorities

pursue and punish cannabis use, although not too

successfully. Marijuana can frequently be smelled in

smoking compartments on trains. And, in the past three

years, some 150 shops have sprung up around Switzerland

selling little bags of dried cannabis leaves with ''not for

consumption'' labels, and daring authorities to prosecute.

The country's law prohibits the substance only when

smoked, which put law enforcement officials in a quandary.

In the last month, they have begun cracking down on the

shops. But the Swiss cannabis dilemma also stems in part

from the fact that hemp has been widely grown, and used

for various products, in the country for decades.

The rejected initiative would have amended the constitution

to say: ''The consumption, cultivation or possession of

drugs, and their acquisition for personal use, is not

punishable.''

The government campaign had warned that the proposal

would give unfettered access to drugs and attract drug

tourists looking for easy availability. Instead of eliminating

the black market, it would have created a new illegal drug

trade and severed Switzerland's ties to international police

assistance, Mr. Zeltner said.

Also Sunday, voters approved spending about $22 billion to

modernize the national rail system and build two new

tunnels through the Alps to speed north-south truck traffic.