NEW U.S. ANTI-DRUGS CHIEF PLEDGES TOUGH FIGHT

WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Three-term congressman and federal
prosecutor Asa Hutchinson was sworn in on Monday as head of the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration and pledged to do all he could to
"stay ahead" of drugs traffickers.

Best known as one of the House of Representatives "prosecutors"
during the 1999 impeachment of former President Bill Clinton,
Hutchinson acknowledged that the task before him was daunting.

"(Drugs) are one of the greatest national challenges that we have,"
Hutchinson, a Republican from Arkansas, told reporters minutes before
being sworn in as the new DEA administrator.

He said one of his priorities was to back up state and local law
enforcement agencies fighting the drugs trade and to strengthen ties
with international agencies.

In addition, he said the DEA needed to develop a technological
advantage over traffickers, who resorted to encryption and other
methods.

"We can't outnumber them perhaps, but we can turn to technology to
make sure that we have the finest tools in our law enforcement effort
so that we can stay ahead of the drug traffickers," Hutchinson said.

He highlighted America's close ties with Mexico and Colombia in
trying to eradicate the source of drugs.

"We have to have a team effort with our international counterparts.
What happens in Mexico affects us. What happens in Colombia affects
us. What happens in the Netherlands in terms of the production of
'Club Drugs' affects our teen-agers in the United States," he said.

At the swearing-in ceremony at DEA headquarters across the Potomac in
Virginia, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Hutchinson was the best
man to lead the DEA.

"It may have become fashionable to say there is little we can do to
fight drug abuse. I reject that conclusion and that cynicism and I
know Asa rejects it as well," said Ashcroft, who referred to a
"scourge of drugs" in America.

Rehabilitation Is Key Goal

While targeting traffickers was important, Hutchinson said it was
also key to provide access to rehabilitation for people who abused
drugs.

"How many times has Mr. Downey Jr. in California gone through rehab,
because it started with law enforcement," he said, referring to actor
Robert Downey Jr. who was sentenced last month to spend a year in a
live-in drug rehabilitation program.

Hutchinson said great strides had been made in the war against drugs,
pointing to a drop of 75 percent in cocaine use over the past 15
years, but that there were always new challenges ahead.

Asked about his views on the use of marijuana for medical purposes,
Hutchinson said he would enforce the federal ban on the use of the
drug even though some states have let patients use marijuana.

He said scientific and medical communities had thus far found no
legitimate use for marijuana, adding that he remained open to further
study on the topic.

Hutchinson worked on drugs issues during his time in Congress and
comes from a legal background, having served as city attorney in his
hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, as a U.S. Attorney in Fort Smith
and as a private lawyer before he was elected to the House in 1996.

Hutchinson's older brother, Tim, also a Republican, is a U.S. senator
from Arkansas.