DRUG CHIEF UNCONVINCED BY DUTCH POLICY

Associated Press The Hague

Just days after dubbing the tax Dutch drug policy an "unmitigated disaster,"
U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey took a closer look yesterday. He came away
not convinced, but more diplomatic.

McCaffrey said he felt "a strong feeling of partnership" with his hosts,
Still, he said he frowns on the laissez-faire Dutch attitude toward hashish
and marijuana sales and a government program that distributes free heroin to
addicts.

McCaffrey's harsh criticism was made ahead of his one-day visit and prompted
Dutch officials to question the value of his mission.

McCaffrey also claimed earlier this week that the Dutch murder rate is twice
as high as that of the United States due to the tolerant Dutch drug laws.
The Dutch publicized statistics disputing his claims. Official data put the
Dutch murder rate at 1.8 per 100,000 people in 1996. The U.S. murder rate in
1996 was 7.4 per 100,000 people.

From the corridors of Dutch government buildings, where retaliatory
statements were issued, to funky coffee shops where hashish and marijuana
are sold over the counter, McCaffrey has generated a buzz.

"He has to come to our coffee shop and look around. The atmosphere is good
and there is no violence," said Anouke Scholten, who works at Amsterdam's
Coffeeshop 36. Not a chance. McCaffrey described the shops as "an impairment
of the drug prevention message."

McCaffrey plunged into a packed day of meetings with officials, with
presentations ranging from the country's heroin handout experiment to
techniques used by customs authorities in the world's largest port,
Rotterdam, to prevent drug trafficking.

McCaffrey criticized experiments that dole out free heroin to addicts who
have failed at other treatments. "This does not constitute drug treatment,"
he said.

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"