DRUG CHIEF DISCOURAGES LEGALIZATION

WASHINGTON - Americans oppose the legalization of drugs and would
never accept children having access to heroin or truck drivers being
high on methamphetamines or LSD, the White House drug policy chief
said today.

Barry McCaffrey, head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy,
said Americans should not be deceived by those arguing for the
normalization and legalization of drugs. ``Given the negative impact
of drugs on American society, the overwhelming majority of Americans
reject illegal drug use.''

But others testifying at a House hearing on the drug legalization
movement said the current emphasis on the criminal aspects of drug use
has led to overcrowded prisons, civil rights violations and inadequate
spending on treatment.

``Politicians must first realize that police and prisons are not the
solution for all our social problems,'' said Scott Ehlers of the Drug
Policy Foundation, which advocates drug policy reforms.

``We believe that the use of criminal prohibitions is profoundly wrong
in principle, generally ineffective in practice and has created
problems that the drugs themselves were powerless to create,'' said
Ira Glasser of the American Civil Liberties Union.''

In prepared testimony, McCaffrey said legalization would lead to a
dramatic rise in drug use and that those arguing for legalization
``want drugs made widely available, in chewing gums and sodas, over
the Internet and at the corner store, even though this would be
tantamount to putting drugs in the hands of children.''

McCaffrey pointed to surveys showing that 80 percent of Americans
oppose legalizing cocaine or heroin, and 69 percent marijuana. Even
among Americans who have tried drugs in the past, 73 percent believe
that parents should forbid children to use drugs at any time, he said.

He said the Netherlands, known for its tolerance to drugs, has seen
increased rates of drug abuse and crime, while the tough anti-drug
policies of the United States have significantly cut use and crime.
Spending on illegal drugs dropped 37 percent from 1988 to 1995, an
annual savings of $34.1 billion, he said.

Legalization would dramatically increase the human and economic costs
associated with drugs, he said, predicting a sharp rise in
drug-related traffic and workplace accidents. He cited a National
Transportation Safety Board study of 182 fatal truck accidents that
found that illegal drugs such as marijuana and stimulants were present
in more cases than alcohol.

He said the scientific community has a responsibility to conduct
research on medicines using marijuana ingredients, but ``there are
those who want to use medical marijuana as a wedge issue to drive open
a hole in counter-drug programs.''

The Marijuana Policy Project, which supports relaxation of drug laws,
issued a report to coincide with the hearing showing that marijuana
offenders are crowding American prisons.

It said that nearly 60,000 marijuana offenders are incarcerated at any
given time in the country, at a cost of $1.2 billion a year. More than
one quarter are jailed for personal possession, with no other drugs
involved in the offense, it said.