New weapons are about to be added to the arsenal in the war against drugs.

The announcement comes following the publication of the latest survey on drug use by Island students -- which showed an overall decline in substance use since 1991.

The survey results will pave the way for more effective preventive measures, say observers.

Now a pilot programme which monitors the profiles of people who are in treatment for drug use is to be launched, says National Drug Commission president, Dr. Derrick Binns.

Dr. Binns told The Royal Gazette that the Treatment Information System has been in pilot stage for more than two years now.

The idea is to have every agency in the business of treating drug users submit a profile of their clients on a regular basis.

Information collected includes the client's employment, age, types of substance used and frequency of use.

Working mainly with public-funded agencies, the NDC has laid the groundwork for collecting the information with minimal extra effort.

And, said Dr. Binns, all information collected is anonymous.

"We don't know'' who the clients are, said Dr. Binns. "And we don't want to know.'' The purpose is to detect trends on an ongoing basis and determine what treatment strategies are being effective.

And, added Dr. Binns, to help build a comprehensive capacity for on-Island treatment.

Dr. Binns admitted that some private agencies had expressed some reservations over confidentiality.

But he said: "We've demonstrated that clients will in no way be identified.'' Regular "outcome evaluations'' will verify that money channelled into treatment "is having an impact - that lives are being changed,'' said Dr.

Binns.

The NDC has a $1.1 million budget for treatment programmes this year - up from just $500,000 two years ago.