ALTHOUGH the end of August was the closing date for submissions to the Ministerial Committee on Measures to Reduce Demand for Drugs, submissions were still coming in early this month.

More than 10-0 written and verbal submissions had, by Monday of last week, been received from community and professional organisations and individuals. The chairman of the committee, the Minister for Commerce, Science and Technology, Pat Rabbitte, is due to report to Cabinet on its deliberations by the end of September.

One of the thrusts of the initiative is to look at the issue from the addicts, or demand, standpoint, rather than from the supply side.

"The extent of the submissions indicate the gravity of the drugs menace, especially in urban areas of high deprivation," Mr Rabbitte told The Irish Times. Some of those who made verbal submissions, he said, felt educational campaigns so far had been culturally mistargeted.

He said local groups believed they knew the local argot and culture better, and were often better equipped to succeed in communicating an anti drug message than State agencies.

Margaret Dowling of the Markets Area in Dublin, who met Mr Rabbitte recently, said that just "more of the same" would not be enough. Innovation and new measures would be needed. The ones in place now, she said, are not working - even for those who get access to them.

"Drug addicts should be given a choice of prison or treatment. More money should be spent on treatment centres that combine both detoxification and the 12 step programme they use in AA. They'd save huge amounts on the prisons if they tackled the drug issue properly."

Mr Rabbitte said that many submissions indicated a sense of abandonment and alienation by community groups. "The question of co operation between voluntary and State agencies is imperative. Many submissions were cynical of governments' performance to date and felt that community organisations were fell to struggle alone against adversity."

He said he would also be meeting with the EHB and looking at ways to reduce waiting lists for treatment.