HUTCHINSON AIMS TO ENFORCE 'POT' BAN

ARLINGTON, Va. (Associated Press) -- The new chief of the Drug Enforcement
Administration said Monday he would strive to enforce the federal ban on
medical marijuana. Speaking to reporters on his first official day on the
job, Asa Hutchinson -- an Arkansas Republican who gave up a House seat to
take the DEA job -- said he would try to "send the right signal." Federal
law prohibits the sale of marijuana for medical uses. Some states, however,
let patients use marijuana for such purposes. "The question is how do you
address that from an enforcement standpoint," he said. "You're not going to
tolerate a violation of law, but at the same time there are a lot of
different relationships, a lot of different aspects that we have to
consider as we develop that enforcement policy." Hutchinson said
rehabilitation and prevention programs will be emphasized under his leadership.

"Mr. Downey Jr. in California ... has gone through rehab because it started
with a law enforcement procedure," said Hutchinson, referring to the actor
Robert Downey Jr., a repeat drug offender who was ordered to undergo
rehabilitation in July under a new state law that stresses treatment over
punishment for substance abusers.

Hutchinson said he is an advocate of drug courts that allow nonviolent
first time offenders to receive treatment and counseling rather than jail
time. Regarding the new California law, Hutchinson said he is concerned
that there is no drug testing component to the state program.

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and Washington
allow sick people to receive, possess, grow or smoke marijuana for medical
purposes without fear of state prosecution.

Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor who served as a House prosecutor in
former President Clinton's impeachment trial, said the scientific and
medical communities have thus far determined there is no legitimate medical
use for marijuana.

"If they continue to study it, we will listen to them," he said. "You have
to listen to the medical community in terms of what is legitimate pain
medication versus that which is simply a guise for a different agenda."
Hutchinson said his priorities would be to continue working with state and
local law enforcement organizations to fight drug crime, to strengthen ties
with international law enforcement agencies to combat drug smuggling and to
step up use of technology to "stay ahead of drug traffickers."