NEW FEDERAL DRUG PLAN UNVEILED

Drug Czar Picks City for Release, Calling It Hub for Traffickers

The Bush administration rolled out in Denver on Wednesday its 2006
anti-drug campaign, highlighted by increased law enforcement and
treatment solutions.

To the latter end, John Walters, director of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy, appeared at the Synergy Youth Drug Treatment
Center to talk about the new 40-page national drug-control strategy.

Walters met with several recovering addicts at the center before
speaking in broad terms about the plan, which includes using federal
grants to increase efforts to randomly screen high school students for drugs.

Walters' office said about one school district a week joins the
drug-screening effort. According to The Associated Press, 350
districts around the country are participating. No schools in
Colorado were identified in the report as grant recipients.

"We are at the cusp of a time when we're not saying, 'Why should we
do it?' but 'Why didn't we do it earlier,' " Walters said.

Flanked by Gov. Bill Owens, Attorney General John Suthers and Denver
District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, Walters denied he picked Denver to
unveil the plan because city voters passed an ordinance last year to
legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

He blamed billionaire Democratic financier George Soros for pushing
that piece of legislation, as well as a statewide ballot measure that
would seek to lift similar restrictions throughout Colorado.

Not true, said Mason Tvert, campaign director of SAFER - Safer
Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation - the group behind the Denver initiative.

"We spent less than $30,000 in the entire Denver campaign," Tvert
said. "There is absolutely no money from George Soros. In fact, it's
money from concerned people around Colorado and the rest of the
country who are fed up with this war against marijuana."

Marijuana was a focus for Owens and Suthers as well. They vowed to
fight the statewide ballot effort and urged others to join them.

Suthers also blasted those who argue the battle against drug abuse
can't be won. "It is very important we keep up this fight," he said.

Walters said Denver was chosen to launch the anti-drug strategy
because it is a "transit hub" and "crossroads" for drug trafficking,
especially of methamphetamine.

Wednesday's announcement also gave the Bush administration a chance
to crow about new numbers showing reduced drug usage among high
schoolers. Walters noted that 700,000 fewer students are using drugs
since 2001, a 19 percent drop.

To finance the continued fight, Bush's fiscal 2007 budget request for
the drug agency is $12.7 billion, a 1 percent increase from its
current $12.5 billion budget.

That's wasted money, according to Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the
Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project.

Referring to a chart in Walter's report, he noted that tobacco usage
decreased through a series of restrictions on advertising and
availability - without making it illegal. Marijuana usage, meanwhile,
has remained relatively flat.

"Nobody is arrested for possession of cigarettes, but by putting
responsible controls . . . we have hugely reduced the usage of
tobacco," he said. "So why again do we need arrest responsible adult
marijuana users?"

He also disputed the claims that marijuana is a gateway drug. Mirken
said science has disproved that theory.

Chasity Sabala, however, would disagree.

The 24-year-old mother of three is currently in rehab at the Synergy
center. She said she started smoking pot when her cousins introduced
her to it at 13. Three years later, she was on to cocaine.

She said there is no doubt in her mind that without smoking marijuana
first, she would never have gone to cocaine.

"Marijuana is the easiest to get your hands on," she said. "I don't
think it should be."

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POLICY HIGHLIGHTS

The National Drug Control Strategy is aimed at:

. Increasing the number of schools participating in random drug
screening of high school students.

. Seeking legislation to limit the amount of pseudophedrine for
retail sale. That substance is used to manufacture methamphetamine.

. Working with Colombia to increase aerial eradication of coca crops
used for pure cocaine production.

. Establishing a group to analyze intelligence concerning the
financial operations of drug trafficking. In 2004, the office seized
$785 million of currency destined for foreign trafficking organizations.