NEW DRUG-AGENCY CHIEF EXPECTS PROGRESS IN ENFORCEMENT FIGHT

President Bush's choice to lead the nation's drug-interdiction efforts
said yesterday that the modern-day rise of methamphetamine production
and use -- which plagues this state more than almost any other -- is
comparable to the erstwhile "epidemic" of crack cocaine.

Asa Hutchinson, the newly designated administrator of the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, was in town yesterday to address
Washington's first statewide methamphetamine summit.

Tomorrow, Hutchinson is to start running the $1.5 billion, 9,100-
position agency. The former U.S. attorney, elected to three terms as a
Republican congressman from Arkansas, had a reliably conservative
voting record and took a leading role in the 1998 impeachment of
President Clinton.

Hutchinson, 50, takes on an agency that, in addition to its
traditional fight against illegal importation of cocaine and other
drugs, is taking a broader role in battling meth -- in part by
engaging in joint efforts with state and local law-enforcement agencies.

"We've made a huge difference with crack cocaine," Hutchinson told the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "We can do the same thing with
methamphetamines. Some of the reasons for the problem are that it's
not just something that comes from South America. We produce it
locally. The rural nature of it, and the inexpensive part of it -- all
of this makes it a very attractive drug (to produce)."

Washington state has been hit particularly hard by meth, a cheap-to-
make and highly addictive stimulant, according to federal crime statistics.

Hutchinson says that's partly because of the "combination of the rural
nature and the forests, the access to some of the precursor chemicals,
all of those combined.

"But there's no question in my mind that Washington state will get a
handle on this," he said.

As DEA administrator, Hutchinson said his priorities include backing
up local law enforcement, bringing down major traffickers, and
building and maintaining a technological crime-fighting advantage over
drug criminals.

Hutchinson alluded to a rift that may be developing between him and
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld regarding the issue of whether --
and to what extent -- the U.S. military should be used in drug-
interdiction efforts in South America and elsewhere.

"The fact is that interdiction works," Hutchinson said. "I think the
question is whether we, budgetwise, can devote enough resources to
consistently make interdiction a part of the law-enforcement arsenal.

"I know that that debate is going on. Secretary Rumsfeld expressed
some reservation about the utilitarian value of his assets going in
that direction. I think, I know, it's very important."

While saying he didn't want to characterize it as a disagreement,
Hutchinson said that "I just want to make sure that we have access to
reasonable amounts of Defense assets to help our efforts."

During his confirmation hearing Jan. 11, Rumsfeld said that
"overwhelmingly," demand was the main problem in the drug war. He
questioned the need for more military involvement to cut off supply.

Hutchinson backtracked somewhat yesterday from an earlier statement
that going after those who procure medical marijuana, which is illegal
under federal law, would not be "a priority" in his DEA.

"It is the law of our land," he said. "The Supreme Court affirmed the
law ... The specifics of that (policy) are still being formulated. I'm
certainly not backing off of it (the law), because you have to worry
about sending a serious signal to society that this is still
unacceptable."

Hutchinson said he intends to use his post as a bully pulpit. "One of
my goals is to give greater hope to America that we are making a
difference, that there's not a reason to be discouraged about our
anti-drug efforts."