are benefitting from it, the United Bermuda Party claimed last night.

Shadow Education Minister Tim Smith called on Government to ensure stadium managers or trustees are taken to court for knowingly allowing drug use on their premises.

And he told the House of Assembly that Cabinet should look at using current legislation to confiscate their grounds and put them to better use because they were being used for drug-dealing.

But his allegation that club organisers are deriving a benefit from drug-dealing was rejected as a "myth'' by Progressive Labour Party MP Reg Burrows, a former vice-chairman of the Bermuda Football Association.

Mr. Smith's claims were made during a debate on the state of sport in Bermuda, when one member said crowds were plumetting at football matches because drug-taking was so prevalent.

Mr. Smith said: "It appears to be relatively well-known in Bermuda that in some of our sports clubs there is an open environment of drug-taking.

"There is a common knowledge that some sports clubs derive a benefit from drug-dealing on their premises. Some good administrators are leaving because of the drug dealing.'' He said that under the Drug Trafficking Suppression Act and the Misuse of Drugs Act "there is provision for managers of grounds to be brought before the courts for knowingly and willingly allowing drugs to be used on their premises.'' He said they could be taken before the courts, which would decide that "on the balance of probability the owner or manager is deriving benefit.

"Wouldn't it be courageous stuff for the trustees or managers of these clubs to be taken to court for negligence under these two provisions.

"I am sure the Attorney General will consider this and I'm sure the Director of Public Prosecutions is aware of this and would like to challenge this in court and say these owners knowingly allowed drugs to be taken.

"The police have said they can't go to football games and go to a pocket of drug dealers and arrest them all.

"I would ask the Attorney General and the Cabinet to look at the orders for this and the next stage, to confiscate that asset and put a better use to it.

That would be a bold initiative.'' Smith claims clubs benefit from drugs Mr. Smith claimed Government showed so little leadership on drugs that if it was asked to re-draft the ten commandments, it would come up with the "ten suggestions'' instead.

Mr. Burrows retorted: "If he can prove, or anyone can prove, that clubs are benefitting from drug-selling on their premises I would hope that those benefitting would be taken to court, but from our experience, most clubs that have a problem have an open door to the police service.

"They can come at any time and arrest anyone if they suspect people are selling and using drugs.

"To my knowledge, I know of no club that is benefitting from the sale of illicit drugs on our property. As far as I'm concerned, that's nothing but a myth.'' Mr. Smith said corporate sponsors of sport do not insist sportsmen and women are successful, but they do demand a drug-free environment and good management.

Earlier in the debate, Shadow Sports Minister Patricia Gordon Pamplin claimed sport in Bermuda was in crisis through a lack of funding and training of administrators and because Government is scared to take a hard line on drug abuse.

She said people were turning away from football and cricket because of drug taking among spectators.

And by failing to send a tough anti-drug line among sportsmen and women, Government was allowing standards among other athletes to fall.

But led by Sport Minister Dennis Lister , backbenchers Randolph Horton and El James said Government has a vision for sport in the future which will see drug users rehabilitated not banned from sport.

Ms Gordon Pamplin called on Government to withdraw funding from sports facilities if the organisers did not ensure the premises were drug free.

And she said Government should give consideration to a sports lottery, even though it may cause controversy among the churches.

She told the House: "It is clear that we are facing an undeniable fact that sport in Bermuda is in crisis.

"One area that we depended upon historically to bring about cross-culturalisation of our community and a common thread of camaraderies has broken down.'' She said that by turning a blind eye to drugs in sport, Government was hampering the ability of sportsmen and women to develop.

"A small minority of ill-disciplined athletes are choosing drugs and by allowing that to infiltrate sports they are causing havoc for sports and all participants.

"We can't allow drugs in sports to go unchecked; we should raise the expectations of our drug-free athletes.'' She accused Government of being afraid to alienate drug-taking athletes and spectators for fearing of losing votes.

"Can we...as tax-payers find those with responsibility for the clubs, club owners, ensure that their facilities will be free of drugs or face with-holding of funding? "Do we have the guts to go that far or are we suggesting that if we upset them too much, maybe they won't vote for us. Is that the position? We should be more serious than that.'' She added: "When you attend matches, you find the person next to you smoking marijuana, the most offensive smell I've ever smelled.'' She said she had left to "spare myself the indignity of having drug smoke blown in my face''.

Ms Gordon Pamplin said crowds were dwindling at football matches because parents were taking their children to more "wholesome'' sporting environments such as baseball, where alcohol is not served.

"The problem is, if we don't take a lead, articulating a position on drugs by leading by example in this House, by allowing ourselves to be drug-tested to show those leading have got commitment to clearing up the scourge of drugs and its affect, we will be failing in our duty.

"Do we consider having sniffer dogs on gates or do we have to put up with people blowing marijuana smoke in our faces?'' As she was interrupted by Government members, she said: "Members opposite are being very glib about this, but it is a very, very serious problem.

"If we fail to highlight these problems about drug abuse in our sport and society, if we are not interested in a better society, we can all go home on a Friday.'' Referring to a sports lottery, she said: "We have got to ensure funding exists that will allow proper development and the time is right to look at a sports lottery. I am not suggesting we have to implement it, but we have to have money to develop our athletes.'' She said it was embarrassing that the coach of the Canadian football team on a recent visit said it was basically a waste of his time bringing his team here because the quality of the Bermuda team was not high enough.

She said a previous elite athletes programme had worked. "If you think athletes can perform well without funding you are living in cloud cuckoo land.'' Continued in Monday's newspaper DRUGS DGS