McCaffrey Advocates Drug Prevention

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” The longtime rallying cry of a ``war on drugs'' to describe the effort to curtail illegal drug use in the United States has become ``misleading'' the White House drug

Thursday, January 4th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” The longtime rallying cry of a ``war on drugs'' to describe the effort to curtail illegal drug use in the United States has become ``misleading'' the White House drug policy director says.

A more accurate comparison is to the fight against cancer â€” ``Prevention coupled with treatment accompanied by research,'' Barry McCaffrey said in his final report on America's drug problem.

``Although wars are expected to end, drug education â€” like all schooling â€” is a continuous process,'' the retired four-star general said in the report to be presented Thursday at the White House.

``The moment we believe ourselves victorious and drop our guard, drug abuse will resurface in the next generation. To reduce the demand for drugs, prevention must be ongoing,'' according to the report obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.

McCaffrey, who is stepping down Friday as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, was adding treatment as one of the goals of the National Drug Control Strategy.

Treatment programs, he said, can ``reduce the consequences of addiction.'' Providing access to them for ``chronic drug abusers'' is ``compassionate public policy and a sound investment.''

``We've got 5 million chronically addicted Americans. If we don't have them in effective drug treatment programs we can't ever break the cycle of crime, violence, accidents, health costs that come from drug abuse,'' McCaffrey said in an interview Thursday on CBS' ``The Early Show.''

He said he is confident the incoming Bush administration is aware of the importance of treatment

Among the other elements of the drug control strategy:

â€”Educating and enabling youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco.

â€”Increasing Americans' safety by reducing drug-related crime and violence.

â€”Shielding air, land and sea frontiers from the drug threat.

â€”Breaking foreign and domestic drug sources of supply.

``Along with prevention and treatment, law enforcement is essential for reducing drug use,'' McCaffrey said. ``Illegal drug trafficking inflicts violence and corruption on our communities. Law enforcement is the first line of defense against such unacceptable activity.''

McCaffrey also is urging the Bush administration to continue successful anti-drug programs. He cites a 21 percent decline in drug use by teen-agers in the past two years as well as a 50 percent drop in overall drug use. Drug-related crimes and murders also have plummeted, he said.

``Drug abuse and its consequences can be reduced,'' he said. ``By historical standards, present rates of drug use are relatively low. With the concerted effort outlined in the National Drug Control Strategy and this report, we can lower them further.''

McCaffrey also plans to name Las Vegas and Jacksonville, Fla., as areas where drug manufacturing and sales flourish and where federal, state and local law enforcement agencies cooperate.

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On the Net:

Office of National Drug Control Policy: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/