Democratic, GOP Senators Attack Clinton Drug Strategy

Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday assailed the Clinton Administration’s drug strategy, branding it a facade without funding that shows “a lack of determination.”

Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), the committee chairman, and Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.) warned Lee P. Brown, director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, that Congress could refuse to renew his office when its five-year term runs out next month unless President Clinton restores resources and strengthens its authority.

The unusual criticism came in part from members of the President’s own party as Brown outlined the Administration’s interim strategy for combatting illegal narcotics.

The hostile reception indicated that the Administration misjudged the level of interest that remains in countering illicit drugs when it decided that it needed to submit only a broad outline of its plans.

Committee members emphasized that they found no fault with Brown, who came to the job with an extensive background as a police executive, including serving as commissioner of the police departments in New York and Houston.

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, the committee’s ranking Republican, was the harshest critic. He declared that the strategy is “a political document so general as to be unhelpful and useful only to give the appearance of taking this issue as seriously as it should be.”

Looking directly at Brown, Hatch said: “I commiserate with you.” He noted that the White House had “slashed the drug (control) office to the bone--from 146 positions to 25,” and that the Administration had agreed to a $231-million cut in funding for drug treatment and education.

“You’re hamstrung by an Administration that doesn’t give a damn,” he said.

Brown responded that some $40 million of the treatment funding had been restored, but he did not address Hatch’s contention that the Administration had gone along with the cuts.

The strategy outlined by Brown shifts emphasis from casual drug users to hard-core abusers, requiring substantial increases in treatment programs.

It also moves from attempts to interdict drugs headed for the United States to supporting anti-drug programs in source and processing countries.

DeConcini said he was surprised that Brown could put together even an interim strategy “with the decimation (of the office) that’s occurred. I am very fearful that the Administration is drifting into a lack of determination” in fighting drugs.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he agrees with DeConcini about the Administration’s “lack of determination” but added that he would apply it to Republican and Democratic administrations alike.

He urged Brown to endorse a shift in spending so that enforcement and treatment efforts receive the same amount--a departure from the current allocation of two-thirds for enforcement and one-third for treatment.

Brown noted that he was not involved in drawing up the current budget and that he favors deciding strategy first and then following with a budget.

He agreed to Specter’s request “to focus (on the spending question) and give the committee as early a response as you can.”

Brown also said he could not answer Specter’s question on the cost of providing drug treatment under the Administration’s proposed health care plan.

Brown’s strongest comment came when Sen. William S. Cohen (R-Me.) asked what he thought of proposals to “take the profit out of drugs” by legalizing them.

“It would be a terrible, terrible, terrible mistake to legalize illegal drugs,” he said, “the moral equivalent of genocide . . . the pathway to destruction of our country.”

Following Brown as a witness was the first director of the drug office. William J. Bennett, who was critical of what he said is Clinton’s lack of commitment to fighting drugs.