US DRUG CZAR REVIEWS SWISS PROGRAM

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey praised a Swiss
program to register drug abusers, but said Wednesday he is skeptical of a
government policy to distribute free heroin to addicts.

McCaffrey is visiting Zurich as part of an eight-day tour to examine
European drug treatment and prevention programs.

He said he was impressed by a "relocation center" that takes addicts off the
streets for 24 hours to register them, clean them up and, if possible, send
them home.

"I personally found it useful to consider the notion that it's part of the
... governmental responsibility," he told a news conference. The center is
run by Zurich city authorities.

But McCaffrey said he was skeptical over a heroin distribution program. "The
jury's out," he said.

A three-year study last year showed the government's distribution project,
which has strong support among Swiss voters, had slashed crime and deaths
associated with the hard-core drug scene.

Although distribution could help cut drug-related crime in the short term,
McCaffrey said that "in the longer term, it will contribute to an inexorable
growth in the rate of heroin abuse."

Earlier in the day, McCaffrey visited a cleaned-up park where drugs were
openly used before a crackdown on trafficking was combined with the
heroin-distribution program.

The retired general played down differences between the United States and
Switzerland on treatment of drug addicts.

"To a large extent there is an overlap" between the two countries'
techniques and policies, he said.

McCaffrey's European visit has been marked by controversy over his strong
criticism of the Dutch policy of allowing citizens to use marijuana and
other drugs for therapeutic and recreational purposes.

He will travel to the Netherlands on Thursday. McCaffrey has already visited
Austria and Sweden and will also make stops in Portugal and England.

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"