Bush Orders New Drug War Tack

President Bush ordered a major shift of emphasis in the war on drugs Thursday, vowing an “unprecedented” and “unwavering commitment” to cut drug demand within the United States.

Bush’s determination to target domestic consumption represents a new strategy--along with treatment and interdiction--in what he called “an all-out effort to reduce drug use in America.”

“The only human and compassionate response to drug use is a moral refusal to accept it,” he said.

The president announced the shift in a Rose Garden ceremony while introducing the new director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, John P. Walters, a conservative protege of former drug czar William J. Bennett who believes street-level drug dealers should be incarcerated.

“We must do, and we will do, a better job,” Bush said.

During his remarks, the president also declared his unequivocal opposition to the legalization of drugs, which he said would lead to “social catastrophe.”

Bush’s initiative was hailed by Joseph A. Califano, a longtime Democratic activist and now head of the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York.

“We’ve waited a long time to have somebody say that,” he said, referring to Bush’s focus on the demand side of the drug war.

“What we’ve got to do is stop looking out the window and start looking in a mirror,” added Califano, who was secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under former President Carter.

The message of the day at the White House evoked unusually personal overtones--in part because of Bush’s own admitted history of excessive alcohol consumption and the fact that one of his daughters, Jenna, 19, two weeks ago was cited in Austin, Texas, on a charge of alcohol possession (beer) by a minor in a popular East Sixth Street bar about 1:30 a.m.

At his daily briefing, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer was asked if the president had spoken to Jenna Bush about drinking. He declined to answer, citing a desire by the Bush family for privacy concerning issues involving their twin daughters.

As for Bush himself, Fleischer did not rule out the possibility that the president may talk--as he did during last year’s campaign--about his former drinking problems. Bush says he went cold turkey in 1986.

“From his own personal experience, he will tell you that one of the ways he was able to stop drinking overnight was because of the power of faith. He does believe that that can be a very helpful and constructive way to help people who are going through internal issues that require strong discipline and strong faith,” Fleischer said.

The spokesman also revealed that all 650 or so highest-ranking White House staffers were tested for drugs as a condition of employment, including Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who were the first two to undergo the tests.

Since that first week of the Bush administration, 127 White House staffers have been subjected to a random testing program that remains ongoing, he said.

Interdiction has long been a preferred approach among Republicans, including former President Bush, in the fight against drugs. And while former First Lady Nancy Reagan promoted a “Just Say No” campaign, the current president is backing his initiative with not only tough rhetoric but also additional funding.

“So we’ll continue to do the best we can to interdict supplies,” Bush said while touring a northern Virginia community center. “But the best ways to affect supply is to reduce the demand for drugs.”

Bush’s budget contains a $1.1-billion increase in total spending on the federal drug control effort, to more than $19 billion.

The president said Walters, like his predecessor in the Clinton administration, will enjoy Cabinet-level status.

“A successful anti-drug effort depends on a thoughtful and integrated approach,” Bush said, adding that Walters “understands this as well as anybody in America.”

While stressing the importance of curbing domestic drug consumption, the president also vowed to “continue to work with nations to eradicate drugs at their source--and enforce our borders to stop the flow of drugs into America.”

Bush said he intends to rally parents to join the cause by creating “a parent drug corps, which will provide needed support to educate and train parents in effective drug prevention.” He is seeking $25 million over five years for such a corps.

In addition, Bush said he intends to increase funding for drug-free community programs and drug-free workplace programs. His budget would double funding for local anti-drug coalitions, providing up to $350 million over five years.

The president also ordered top administration officials to conduct thorough surveys of such programs around the country.

For instance, Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of Health and Human Services, is to conduct a state-by-state inventory of treatment needs and capacity and recommend ways to close what Bush called a “gap” in the treatment of addicts.

Figures compiled by experts show that about one-third of the estimated 15 million drug users in this country are considered “hard-core” users who consume two-thirds of all drugs, and more than half of them receive no treatment.

The president said he will provide $1.6 billion over the next five years to enhance treatment efforts.

Bush also is directing Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft to devise “a comprehensive plan within 120 days to ensure our federal prisoners are drug-free” and to expand drug testing for probationers and parolees as well as to strengthen drug courts around the country.

“We know that inmates receiving drug treatment are 73% less likely to be rearrested and 44% less likely to use drugs than those who receive no treatment at all,” Bush said.

He also noted that he plans to “significantly increase” funding for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (by $126 million) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (by $41.5 million).

Bush’s drug program roll-out was not without critics, however.

Timothy Lynch, head of a project on criminal justice at the libertarian-minded Cato Institute and author of a book on drug policy, said: “Walters seems undeterred by the rampant corruption in Latin America. He believes that more taxpayer dollars will somehow turn the situation around. The trouble with that strategy is that it flies in the face of experience.”

In opposing drug legalization, Bush painted a vivid portrait of the consequences of such action:

“‘Drug use and addiction would soar,” he said. “Hospitals would be filled with many more drug emergency cases. Child abuse would increase. The cost of treatment and social welfare would rise. There would be more drug-related accidents at work and on the road. And legalizing drugs would completely undermine the message that drug use is wrong.”

Fleischer later told reporters that Bush also opposes the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

“There are other effective ways, the president believes, to help people who suffer illnesses so they can be relieved of the pain and the symptoms that they’re going through.

“There are other ingredients that can be delivered outside of a marijuana cigarette, for example, to help people who need help and who suffer.”