DEA DIRECTOR: TIGHTER SECURITY HAS HELPED LOWER DRUG TRAFFICKING

SYRACUSE (AP) -- Tighter security at airports and borders since the Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist attacks has helped lower drug trafficking, said the
Drug Enforcement Administration.

Asa Hutchinson, the nation's top drug-enforcement officer, told a Syracuse
University audience Thursday that 16,000 pounds of cocaine were seized at
the country's borders in the last six months.

When asked by audience members about legalizing drugs, Hutchinson said
complete legalization was "irrational and illogical" and would not stop
organized crime. "We need to invest in more treatment options," he said.

Some in the audience said the war on drugs was a waste of time and resources.

Hutchinson said the government's policy was on the right track, and less
than 5 percent of Americans use illegal drugs - down by one-third over the
last 20 years.

"We need to invest in what works," he said, supporting courts for drug
offenders and pushing for prison programs helping drug abusers. "And we
need treatment in prisons, not just incarceration."