National Drug Control Minister Wayne Perinchief says former dealers are helping him in his bid to curb the Island?s drug habit.

Big-time drug barons have flagged him down to offer help, he said.

?Drug dealers have approached me directly in the street ? they want to help. That was shocking.

?The first time it happened I was a bit cynical. The third or fourth time I was less cynical.

?I believe eventually people who do anti-social things can change.

?When they change they look back and reflect, perhaps want to work against something they were involved in themselves. They start having families themselves.?

He said the men who had made contact had once been key players. ?People who I recognise as being big time,? he said. ?That?s an interesting phenomenon.?

Their information about today?s drug scene was helpful and indicated even a drug dealer doesn?t want to live in a messy environment, said the Minister.

?He doesn?t want to build a house and then be beaten over the head by some depraved crackhead. It?s been heartening to get that reaction, it?s something I didn?t expect.?

He said the new Ministry has support from all sides and he pledged to keep it above politics because the fight against drugs is too important.

Mr. Perinchief said his Ministry would be looking at reviewing the legislation on recovering drug dealers? assets.

?We want to see if it can be made more efficient and less onerous.?

He said the NDC will be partnering with Police, Prison authorities and other arms of Government to coordinate efforts to target dealers.

?The authorities in this country have never, to my satisfaction, in any focused way, dealt with drug asset forfeiture.

?When a person known to be a drug dealer is taken down, the whole empire should fall with them.

?There should be a prolonged investigation and the whole organisation collapsed.?

The Minister recently complained that drug dealers are laundering their ill-gotten gains by buying cars with cash.

But he stopped short of looking at legislation to ban such sales and appealed for companies to report large cash transactions to the authorities.

He said individuals who repeatedly made cash purchases should be picked up by Police intelligence while merchants doing large cash transactions have a moral duty to report them.

Mr. Perinchief said his mission is to reduce demand and supply for drugs and change the mindset of the country by making recreational drug use unacceptable.

He said Bermuda is a rich country and does not have the chronic social problems of other countries where people use drugs to sedate themselves from the realities of life.

But weekend drug binges are costing businesses dearly through unnecessary sick days and lost productivity from strung-out users.

He urged more employers to stipulate that employees submit to regular random drug testing as part of their contract of employment.

The aim is not to drive out drug-addicted employees but to at least get them on the road to recovery, said Mr. Perinchief.

?People don?t change their behaviour unless there are consequences.?

Butterfield and Vallis boss Jim Butterfield said his company has been testing employees for drugs and alcohol for more than three years.

He said he has seen productivity go up and drug addicted employees beat their addiction.

?The high risk areas get tested slightly more ? if you are a driver or work in meat cutting you get tested twice a year,? Mr. Butterfield said.

Prospective employees are made aware of the company?s policy at the interview. ?Some people suddenly say they have to go to the dentist and then don?t come back,? he said.

The number of people with perfect attendance records has gone up since testing began, said Mr. Butterfield, although he conceded testing for alcohol is more difficult because it quickly passes through the system.

The company has a three strikes and you are out policy, he explained.

?If you are tested positive for cocaine or heroin, you are taken off trucking or high lifting but not dismissed, you might be reassigned as a trucker?s helper.?

The move to a lower-paying job has proved a big deterrent to people caught out, said Mr. Butterfield. Such people face another drug test three months after failing the first.

?We have people who have changed their lifestyles. They say their job is worth more than smoking weed or cocaine.?