BUSH APPOINTS TOUGH DRUG CZAR, PUTS EMPHASIS ON TREATMENT

WASHINGTON -- President Bush yesterday named a drug czar known for his
tough law-and-order policies, but said the most effective way of reducing
America's supply of illegal drugs is to "reduce demand."

The apparent contradiction in Bush's appointment of John Walters, a former
top aide in the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the president's
call for greater emphasis on treatment and prevention, confused many
experts on drug use.

The analysts also noted something remarkable about Bush's speech in the
Rose Garden: He never uttered the words "drug war."

"I don't remember a single major speech on drug policy by a president of
the United States that did not use the term 'war,' " said Joseph Califano
Jr., secretary of health under President Carter and now head of the
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse in New York City. "We have
never had a president talk about demand reduction, treatment, drug courts,
about the role of families, as Bush talked about that today."

Bush instructed Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to
conduct a state-by-state inventory of treatment needs aimed at "how to most
effectively close the treatment gap in this country."

Though recreational drug use has fallen dramatically since the mid-1980s,
the number of hard-core drug users has remained for years at about 5
million people. National studies have found that more than 60 percent of
them receive no treatment.

In part due to the movie "Traffic," which depicts the devastating impact of
drug use on the family of the fictional U.S. drug czar played by Michael
Douglas, and in part because many law enforcement officials have concluded
that the 30-year "war on drugs" has failed miserably, drug policy experts
forecast much more support in Congress for drug treatment.

Bush yesterday highlighted an increase of $1.1 billion to the drug budget,
pushing it to $19 billion overall, that includes new money for treatment,
local anti-drug coalitions, and research of prevention and treatment.

Walters, 49, was the top deputy to the first U.S. drug czar, William
Bennett. He has favored tough prison sentences for violent felons, drug
smugglers and repeat offenders.

He now faces confirmation hearings in the Senate.

Walters said in a short statement yesterday, "Our country has made great
progress in the past in reducing drug use, and we will do it again."

He added, "Our efforts rest on the knowledge that when we push back, the
drug problem gets smaller. This fact is beyond question today, even if it
is not always beyond denial."

Califano, a liberal Democrat, said people should focus on Bush, rather than
Walters.

"The drug czar is a White House staff job," said Califano, who praised Bush
for his policy work on drug abuse. "The drug czar is going to do what the
president tells him to do."