A THROWBACK DRUG CZAR

THE SENATE must soon decide whether U.S. policies on fighting drug abuse
will return to the failed, lock-'em-up focus of previous years or continue
their current trend toward emphasizing treatment and education.

In the next few days, the Judiciary Committee is expected to vote whether
to confirm John Walters, President Bush's nominee as director of the Office
of National Drug Control Policy.

It is the last Cabinet position to come before Congress, but the vote has
been delayed in part by controversy over Walters' hard-line views.

The decision is expected to be close and will likely be decided by four
swing votes: Democrats Dianne Feinstein of California, Charles Schumer of
New York and Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, plus Republican Arlen Specter
of Pennsylvania.

These senators have reason to consider voting for Walters, mainly to
continue the post-September 11 congressional show of unity behind the
president. The position of drug czar is a crucial one, directing the
federal government's $19 billion in anti-drug programs and serving as a
moral leader in the just-say-no campaign focused on America's youth.

But the need to rally around the flag and fill an important job do not
compensate for Walters' many failings:

He wants to escalate U.S. military involvement in the Latin American drug
war at the expense of funding for domestic drug treatment and education
(which have repeatedly proved to be the most cost-effective way of reducing
drug use).

He opposes reform of racially imbalanced sentencing guidelines, such as
those that are 100 times stiffer for crack than for powder cocaine.

He says he will use federal authority to punish doctors in states such as
California who prescribe medical marijuana.

In a Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this month, Walters underwent a
typical "confirmation conversion," trying to curry favor with his critics
by recanting or downplaying some of his extreme views. His track record is
too long and too distasteful to be cleaned up that easily, however.

Confirmation of Walters would reverse the nation's trend toward giving
priority to drug treatment and education programs. These new policies,
which California boosted last year with approval of Proposition 36, are the
most effective, economical and humane ways of fighting the scourge of drug
abuse.

The Senate should reject Walters as drug czar.