NEW CAMPBELL AD CALLS FOR TREATMENT FOR DRUG USERS

SACRAMENTO -- In an unusual move for a Republican, U.S. Senate candidate
Tom Campbell is running a television ad that calls the drug war a failure
and promotes treatment instead of jail for drug users.

The San Jose-area congressman hopes the ad will pull moderate and liberal
votes away from incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, who held a
20-point lead in the most recent statewide poll.

"We believe, first and foremost, that Californians and Americans are ready
for a change in the drug war," Sean Walsh, Campbell's senior strategist,
said Monday.

"Drug abuse is a growing problem in this state. People realize that just
tossing people into prison is not the right answer."

In the 30-second ad, Campbell stares intently into the camera and says,
"Dianne Feinstein is in denial about my record on drug policy, just like
drug users deny they have a habit. Dianne can't admit the war on drugs has
failed. She's ready to spend billions more to send American troops to Colombia.

"Everyone wants the drug dealers in jail. But for the victims of dealers,
let's rehabilitate, not incarcerate. Drugs are a health problem. Treat the
victims of drugs at public health clinics under doctor's supervision. After
all, what would you want for your child?"

The ad, which began running Sunday on stations in the Los Angeles, Fresno
and Sacramento areas, is the first significant television ad buy by the
Campbell campaign.

The campaign and the GOP are spending $400,000 to put it on the air this week.

"This is a very different message than you will generally see from a
politician, particularly from a Republican politician," Walsh said. "It
reaches out and grabs you and makes you tend to think."

A spokesman for Feinstein, Kam Kuwata, said the senator supports treatment
programs for drug users as well as efforts to curb drug importation.

"Congressman Campbell sees it pretty much as either-or," Kuwata said.

He said Feinstein opposes Campbell's "very controversial idea to allow
local governments to give out heroin to heroin addicts."

Campbell supports giving drugs to addicts in controlled settings, such as
clinics, with the approval of local authorities, on the theory that it
would wean addicts away from drugs, limit street crime and curtail the
spread of HIV.

He also supports Proposition 36, the Nov. 7 ballot measure that would
generally require judges to send drug users to treatment programs instead
of jail. Feinstein opposes the measure, saying that incarceration is needed
in some instances.

Campbell appears to have a long way to go to overtake Feinstein. She led
Campbell 54 percent to 34 percent among 1,018 likely voters questioned
Sept. 29 to Oct. 8 by the Field Institute. Twelve percent were undecided or
backed other candidates.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Feinstein also held a big lead in campaign fund-raising heading into the
final six weeks of the campaign.

According to campaign finance reports available Monday, Campbell had raised
nearly $2.8 million in the first nine months of this year and had a little
more than $802,000 available Sept. 30.

Feinstein raised $4.4 million during the same period and had $3.3 million
in her campaign treasury.