DRUG CZAR SEES DRUG USE DECLINE IN TEENS

Roundtable Discussion Presented Here.

SOUTH BEND -- National Drug Control Policy Director John P. Walters
credited state laws restricting access to methamphetamine ingredients with
helping to reduce drug use by teenagers, but said at a Thursday news
conference that much work remains to be done.

Walters was invited here by U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, R-2nd, and
participated in a roundtable discussion on drug policies, the role of the
courts and methamphetamine use in Indiana.

Superior Court Judge Roland Chamblee, who oversees the county's drug court
program, and local police and prosecutors also participated in the
roundtable discussion, which was held at the County-City Building.

"Substance abuse is not a victimless crime," said Walters, who noted that
the person using drugs and everybody around them "becomes a train wreck,
sooner or later."

Walters claimed an overall reduction in drug use by teens, and said the
administration is trying to attack the problem by reducing both supply and
demand.He credited Indiana and other states that have restricted access to
over-the-counter sales of cold medicines containing ingredients used to
make methamphetamine with having a dramatic effect on reducing access to
the drug.

Walters has served as the nation's so-called "drug czar" since 2001. In
that role, he coordinates all federal drug programs.