BUSH PICKS A CONSERVATIVE FOR DRUG CZAR, AMID CRITICISM FROM TREATMENT
ADVOCATES

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Thursday nominated as his drug czar John P.
Walters, who has long argued for jail time over voluntary treatment for
drug offenders, calling him the right one to battle illegal drugs that rob
people "of innocence and ambition and hope."

Bush's choice of Walters, a conservative, to head the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy was criticized by groups that prefer treating
drug addiction rather than punishing drug offenders or attempting to cut
off the supply of narcotics.

As he introduced Walters, who served as the deputy drug director under
Bush's father, Bush tried to defuse criticism of his choice by declaring
that the administration would emphasize treatment, including treatment
through religious organizations. Bush said he would propose spending $1.6
billion over the next five years to enhance drug treatment.

He also said that Walters would lead "an all-out effort to reduce illegal
drug use."

The administration said Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were the first
two employees at the White House to take a drug test. White House officials
declined to say if anyone on Bush's staff had failed the mandatory test.

After working under former drug czar William J. Bennett, Walters, 49,
became president of the Philanthropy Roundtable, an association that
advises more than 600 donors to charities. He has also served as president
of the New Citizenship Project, which promoted the role of religion in
public life.

In his writings, Walters has supported tough prison sentences for violent
felons, marijuana smugglers and repeat offenders, though he advocated more
leniency toward first-time drug users.

Walters has many critics.

"Anybody can give lip service to drug prevention and addiction," said Ethan
Nadelmann, executive director of the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy
Foundation, which advocates therapy instead of punishment. "But listen to
him and he stands out as a bellicose drug warrior."

Walters served as acting drug-policy director in 1993. He quit in protest
when President Clinton sharply reduced the office's staff and announced
that he was redirecting anti-narcotics policy to focus on hard-core users,
while de-emphasizing enforcement.

Besides naming Walters as drug czar, Bush directed John J. DiIulio Jr., who
leads the White House effort to open federal programs to religious groups,
to examine federal partnerships with local anti-drug groups.

If confirmed by the Senate, Walters would succeed Barry R. McCaffrey, a
retired four-star Army general who sought to reduce confrontations with
drug-exporting countries in Latin America and promoted an advertising
campaign to convince adolescents that drugs could ruin lives.