what in the drugs prevention area. The problem is too great and the need for solutions too important for Bermuda to have conflicts. The approach to solutions has already taken a very long time and the drugs problem grows and will not be combatted if various well intentioned groups become territorial over who is doing what.

It may be that Bermuda needs some togetherness among the various groups so that we have a concerted and cohesive approach to drugs. Too many cooks might delay the broth, if not spoil the broth. The National Drugs Authority is about to become a reality. Surely the Authority is the best hope we have of making headway against drugs. It has the backing and it has the planning and the support inherent in the Archibald reports. It deserves support so that it can succeed.

When we say it deserves support, we mean both public support and Government support. We are puzzled that the Authority has to have a fund campaign in order to go about its business. Drug abuse is the major national concern and a national problem which knows no barriers. Surely the Authority should be properly funded by Government so that it can get on with the people's business. If we wait to raise funds it will be five years before the Authority can function properly.

The war on drugs is as important as anything this Government will undertake, therefore Government has no choice but to fully fund the authority. The costs to the public of drug addiction are so great that Bermuda cannot afford not to fund moves against drugs. The Authority should not be called upon to add fund raising to other efforts.

The six groups involved in drug prevention who want to raise large sums of cash should tell the public what their programme is before they begin to raise funds. The Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has been going for a long time without notable gains and we think it could gain direction as part of the National Drugs Authority programme.

Fair Havens, the Christian drug rehab for women, is a programme which the Christian Ministerial Association undertook on its own but which will have to be duplicated non-denominationally as the Authority plans for rehabilitation.

The rehab is valuable but it is a very narrow concept which should not ask for public funds because the churches were told before they began just how expensive it would be and they went ahead saying they could find the funds.

Now the churches have exactly the problems which were predicted. We think the churches must look to their own funds to keep their project open.

As nearly as we can tell, Listen, which distributes magazines, appears to be a private business which should not ask for public funds.

The other three groups are extremely valuable to Bermuda and, if anyone has made inroads against drugs, they have. They once fell generally under the umbrella of NADA, the National Alcohol and Drug Agency, and should be encouraged to play their important role as part of the overall National Drugs Authority programme. Bermuda should avoid duplicating efforts and that can only be achieved by the direction provided by an umbrella group.

We have to get on with this war and to maximise effectiveness, we must be very careful that fragmentation does not lead to confusion. If the two groups begin fund raising and then Government leaves the Authority to find funds, the result will be public confusion. To win against drugs we need a unified effort.