BUSH PUSHES TREATMENT TO REDUCE USE OF ILLEGAL DRUGS

WASHINGTON - Seeking to cut illegal drug use by 10 percent in two years,
President Bush Tuesday unveiled a new national drug policy that emphasizes
treatment.

Instead of the "Just Say No" campaign of the 1980s, the Bush administration
is pushing a policy that in essence adds, "Please Get Help."

The president is proposing to spend $357 million more next year on
anti-drug efforts. He wants two-thirds of that - $224 million - to go
toward drug treatment and research.

In total, the president is seeking to spend $19.2 billion to fight illegal
drugs, a problem he said "wreaks havoc on the very fabric that provides
stability for our society."

In fighting drugs, many advocate strict punishment for offenders, while
others favor treatment. Republicans usually push for prison time for
offenders, but Bush, in unveiling his anti-drug strategy, took a different
tack Tuesday.

"We must aggressively promote drug treatment," Bush said Tuesday, "because
a nation that is tough on drugs must also be compassionate to those
addicted to drugs. Today, there are 3.9 million drug users in America who
need, but who did not receive, help. And we've got to do something about
that. We've got to help."

This will mean an increase in residential treatment facilities, perhaps
even in neighborhoods that could initially resist them, said John Walters,
White House drug policy director.

"It's a challenge to our compassion," Walters said. He also emphasized
continued treatment for recovering addicts to make sure they stay drug-free.

"We're really pleased that it is focusing more on treatment," said Pat
Ford-Roegner, executive director of the Association of Addiction
Professionals, a trade group for counselors based in Alexandria, Va. "We
certainly have a president at this point who understands the struggle with
addiction. I do think personal experience is important to realize that a
lot more needs to be done. This is an issue that faces every American family."

During the 2000 campaign, Bush admitted being a heavy social drinker in the
past. In 1986, the morning after his 40th birthday, he quit.

More recently, the president's niece, Noelle Bush, daughter of Florida Gov.
Jeb Bush, checked into drug treatment after being arrested on charges of
illegally trying to obtain prescription drugs.

The Bush anti-drug strategy also includes prevention and efforts to stop
drug trafficking.

"We're determined to limit drug supply, to reduce demand and to provide
addicts with effective and compassionate drug treatment," the president
said from the East Room. "Each of these steps is essential, and they're
inseparable."

In trying to limit demand, the president argued that drug abusers,
especially buyers of heroin originating in Afghanistan and cocaine from
Colombia, were helping to finance terrorism.

That anti-drug argument featured prominently in an ad campaign that debuted
during the Super Bowl.