AMERICA IS LOSING WAR ON DRUGS, POLL SAYS

Residents Want Efforts To Continue

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Three-fourths of Americans think the nation is losing
the war on drugs and think the demand for drugs is so high it will be
impossible to stop their use, a new poll says.

But they hold to the belief that arresting drug dealers and stopping the
importation of drugs should be the government's top priorities in fighting
the problem, according to the poll by the Pew Research Center for the
People & the Press.

"This suggests the public is frustrated with the war on drugs and doesn't
think it's succeeding," Pew pollster Andrew Kohut said. "But it is still
sticking with the tactics of the drug war, giving the highest priorities to
interdiction and incarceration."

Two-thirds in the poll say they believe Latin American nations never will
control drug traffic.

Americans were more compassionate toward users of illegal drugs, with half
believing drugs should be treated as a disease, compared with a third who
think it should be treated as a crime.

The strategies of the drug war have gotten a renewed focus in recent
months, reflected in the attention of news coverage and the Oscar-nominated
film "Traffic," which examines the inefficiency of long-standing policies
toward the drug trade. Part of "Traffic" was filmed in San Diego County.

In Congress, some lawmakers have been debating the balance between
punishment and treatment of the nation's drug users, and even cite the
movie's influence on the debate.

The poll suggests significant public skepticism has grown up around
government policy toward drug treatment and enforcement, said Maureen
Steinbrenner, president of the Center for National Policy, a Washington
think tank.

The White House is looking for the right blend in developing its drug
strategy, White House spokesman Scott McClellan recently said.

"Fighting illegal drugs is a priority for President Bush because drugs
destroy our neighborhoods, harm our children and ruin lives," McClellan
said. The administration favors "a balanced approach to combat drugs based
on education, treatment and law enforcement."

Blacks and those with low incomes and less education have high concerns
about the potential effects of drug use on their own family, according to
the poll. Four of five blacks said they were at least somewhat concerned
about the effects of drugs on their family. Almost as many who made less
than $20,000 or had less than a high school education -- about seven in 10
- -- felt that way.

The poll of 1,513 adults was taken in mid-February and has an error margin
of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Feelings about whether drug use should be treated as a disease or a crime
split sharply along partisan lines. Republicans were more likely by 48
percent to 38 percent to say drug use should be treated as a criminal
offense. Democrats said by a 2-to-1 margin it should be treated as a
disease. More than half of independents said it should be treated as a disease.

Young people were far more likely than older people to say drug use is a
disease.

Americans were about evenly split on the question of eliminating mandatory
sentences just for drugs. Women were slightly more inclined than men to say
that getting rid of mandatory sentences would be a bad thing.

In other findings:

- - Just over half said drug interdiction should be emphasized by government
as a drug-fighting strategy -- down from two-thirds in 1988.

- - Almost half said arresting drug dealers should be emphasized -- down from
six in 10 in 1988.

- - About a third said educating about drugs should be emphasized -- down
from half in 1988.

- - And almost a third said arresting drug users should be emphasized -- down
slightly from 1988.

One in nine Americans list drugs and alcohol as the most important problem
in their community. Among rural residents, drug abuse is the leading
community problem, with 16 percent citing it. It was almost as high among
inner-city residents.

Drugs and alcohol weren't included in the top tier of problems cited by
suburban residents.