ORLANDO GETS TIPS FROM DRUG CZAR

Barry McCaffrey, White House drug czar, has spent five years listening to politicians, law-enforcement officers, addicts, drug-abuse experts and foreign leaders while shaping the country`s anti-drug policies.

Today, some of those same people will hear McCaffrey address a national drug-treatment conference at Orlando`s Radisson Hotel, next to Universal Studios.

McCaffrey, who has announced he will step down in January, will be in town to tout alternatives to imprisonment for non-violent drug offenders. The drug czar`s office considers this approach, which includes drug courts, a balance between punishment and treatment for a chronic disease.

"Be as tough as you want with them, but at the end of the day you`ve got to put them in effective science-based drug-treatment programs," McCaffrey said of the estimated 5 million chronic addicts nationwide.

Statistics show as many as two-thirds of the 2 million inmates in prisons and jails test positive for drugs.

"Targeting [ addicts] is a smart way both to reduce crime and serve the public health," the drug czar said.

McCaffrey`s third visit to Orlando in four years also highlights the area`s reputation for drug abuse.

The Orlando area continues to lead the state in heroin fatalities. This year`s 22 confirmed heroin overdoses are on par with last year`s 30 deaths. By comparison, cocaine deaths numbered about 20 in 1999.

For this week`s three-day conference, the national Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities, a Virginia-based coalition representing 220 drug-abuse programs, will bring together 700 people.

Other invited speakers include Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park. Mica spearheaded a House bill passed last week that will fund prosecutor-controlled drug-treatment programs. Under the bill, a prosecutor can seek a "substantial" prison sentence if an offender violates treatment rules.

According to its mission statement, TASC promotes treatment, professional standards and accountability while offering training and technical assistance to local programs.

Studies show that treating drug-using criminals is cheaper than locking them up and costs 10 times less than what is spent on drug interdiction. Drug courts have fast gained popularity; there are now more than 700 nationwide, up from just 12 in 1994.

McCaffrey`s Office of National Drug Control Policy strongly advocates TASC programs. During his tenure, overall funding for treatment increased by more than a third to $3.8 billion. The anti-drug agency`s budget, meanwhile, increased from about $13 billion to $19 billion.

McCaffrey will step down two weeks before President Clinton`s successor takes office. In a telephone interview, the drug czar -- and retired four-star Army general -- said he would like to return to teach at his alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

He said "challenges" that will need attention in the next administration include finding health-insurance coverage for substance abuse and enhancing treatment programs within the criminal justice system.

"We have to deliver parity in the health-insurance practice," McCaffrey said.

According to his office, McCaffrey`s accomplishments include increases in funding for treatment and media campaigns, lower drug-related crime rates and expanded international cooperation. Although surveys indicate youth drug use is down 21 percent nationwide, critics point to the ever-increasing availability and lower prices of cocaine and heroin as his shortfalls.

McCaffrey said his heir will find out there`s no substitute for relying on the thousands of community leaders and drug-abuse counselors who have offered him advice.

"There are no magic tricks on drug abuse," he said. "You`ve got to go to the people you actually work for."