U.S. DRUG CZAR URGING DEFEAT OF PROPOSITION 36

The nation's drug czar has weighed in against a proposal on California's
Nov. 7 ballot that would require treatment instead of incarceration for
non-violent drug users.

Proposition 36 threatens California's existing drug treatment programs,
White House Drug Policy Director Barry R. McCaffrey said Wednesday in an
open letter to actor Martin Sheen. Sheen is honorary chairman of California
United Against Drug Abuse, the proposition's primary opponent.

McCaffrey said Proposition 36's lack of funding for drug tests, coupled
with a ban on short jail sentences, would mean less effective treatment for
addicts, and would undermine judges' discretion.