DRUG CHIEF: DON'T LEGALIZE DRUGS

WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans oppose the legalization of drugs and would
never accept a situation where kids would have access to drugs such as
heroin or truck drivers might be high on methamphetamines or LSD, the White
House drug policy chief says.

"Given the negative impact of drugs on American society, the overwhelming
majority of Americans reject illegal drug use,'' Barry McCaffrey of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy said today at a House hearing on the
drug legalization movement.

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.''

Also speaking at the hearing of the House Government Reform criminal
justice panel were representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union,
the Drug Policy Foundation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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 from using drugs at any time, he said.

He noted that 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.