TOUGHER DRUG LAWS WORKING, STUDY FINDS

WASHINGTON - More than 30,000 people were charged with federal drug
offenses in 1999, more than double the number 15 years earlier, and most of
those convicted were drug traffickers, a Justice Department study says.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said the report shows federal drug laws are
succeeding in catching the serious criminals and keeping them behind bars
longer. One crime expert disputed that, saying only a fraction of
traffickers are being arrested.

The study released on Sunday by the department's Bureau of Justice
Statistics found that only 4 percent of drug criminals were convicted of
simple possession. Ninety-one percent were convicted of drug trafficking.

It also found that drug offenders are serving longer sentences. The average
prison stay rose to 5 1"2 years in 1999 from 2 1"2 years in 1986.

The longer prison times are the result of federal laws passed during the
past two decades that require mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes,
researchers said.

"Tougher federal drug laws are making a real difference in clearing major
drug offenders from our nation's streets," Ashcroft said. "Federal drug
offenders are predominantly hard-core criminals with prior arrest records
who are convicted for drug trafficking, not first-time, nonviolent
offenders charged with drug possession."

The report showed that 30,099 defendants were charged with a federal drug
offense in 1999, the most recent year for which data was available.

In 1984, 11,854 were charged with drug crimes.

James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University, said that while
the jump reflects the government's increased drug-fighting efforts,
prosecutors are only getting the tip of the iceberg.

"We are devoting a tremendous amount of money and resources to this
relentless war on drugs, which is not winnable," he said.