BUSH PICKS DRUG CZAR, VOWS DEMAND-SIDE EFFORT

Reducing Demand Cuts The Supply, He Said In Naming John Walters To
The Cabinet-Level Post

WASHINGTON - President Bush promised yesterday to reinvigorate
efforts to reduce demand for drugs and provide treatment to users,
naming as drug czar a man known for his get-tough policies: veteran
antidrug crusader John Walters.

In his first extended comments on the issue, Bush spoke out strongly
against any move to legalize drugs or accept drug use. But he said
little about interdiction efforts, emphasized community programs and
parent involvement, and never used the term drug war.

"The most effective way to reduce the supply of drugs in America is
to reduce the demand for drugs in America," said Bush, who promised
to focus "unprecedented attention on the demand side of this problem."

Walters, a protege of the first drug czar, William Bennett, said the
Office of National Drug Control Policy would aggressively pursue a
broad range of programs, from interdiction to treatment, "to shield
our communities from the terrible human toll taken by illegal drugs.

"When we push back, the drug problem gets smaller," said Walters, who
took no questions after the ceremony in the Rose Garden.

Bush used the nomination of Walters - which must be confirmed by the
Senate - to reassure antidrug activists worried that momentum on the
issue was lost in the four months it took to nominate a successor to
former drug czar Barry McCaffrey.

"As of today, the federal government is waging an all-out effort to
reduce illegal drug use in America," pledged Bush, flanked by Bennett
and Joseph Califano, a longtime health and antidrug advocate in
Democratic administrations. Bush said Walters would serve "as a
valuable member of my cabinet."

Cabinet-level status allows the drug-policy director to deal directly
with cabinet members. While the drug czar's budget is about $500
million, much of that for ad campaigns, he oversees the $19 billion
in federal antidrug spending spread throughout many departments.

Walters, as Bennett's deputy for supply reduction and briefly as
acting drug czar, pushed for a greater U.S. military role in
interdiction and stepped-up efforts in Latin America to stem the drug
trade. He opposed lowering sentences for crack-cocaine possession and
backed longer sentences for repeat offenders.

But Walters also said he was willing to study different ways to deal
with first-time offenders and supported drug courts that offer
mandatory treatment as an alternative to incarceration.

Califano, who heads the National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse at Columbia University, said Bush, who once coped with a
drinking problem, understands drug issues and has a chance to push a
"balanced, reasonable" approach that could help reduce drug use.

"The President was right to focus on demand reduction," Califano
said. "For too long politicians have just focused on supply - lock
people in jail and throw away the key."

Community groups, well-represented at the ceremony, also praised
Bush's tone and direction.

"I liked his emphasis on treatment and demand," said Peggy Sapp of
Coral Gables, Fla., who heads the National Family Partnership. "The
only way we'll ultimately make progress is by rebuilding families and
communities."

Bush said that to close "the treatment gap," he would seek $1.6
billion in federal funding for such programs, although much of that
money is already budgeted. Currently more than two-thirds of federal
antidrug funds go to law-enforcement and interdiction efforts.