Excerpts: Senate Considers Drug Czar Nominee

11 October 2001

Excerpts: Senate Considers Drug Czar Nominee

Bush pick John Walters is former deputy in national drug office

A Senate Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing October 10 to consider President Bush's nomination of John Walters to become the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

Prior to this appointment, Walters held various positions in the nation's drug abuse prevention efforts. In the administration of former President George H.W. Bush, he served as the principal manager of drug prevention and policy programs at the U.S. Department of Education. He also served in ONDCP when it was first created in 1989. In that capacity, he oversaw development of the National Drug Control Strategy, which states the goals and objectives of the anti-drug program. This strategy, subject to periodic updates and revisions, remains the basic framework for shaping U.S. drug abuse prevention policy.

"I am proud to have been a major architect of a drug strategy from 1989 to 1992 that called for, and obtained, larger increases in treatment resources than any administration before or since," Walters testified.

Walters' nomination has stirred some criticism that he may tilt policy too sharply toward drug offender prosecution rather than abuse prevention and rehabilitation. Senator Orrin Hatch answered those critics by vouching for Walters commitment to prevention.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet set a date to vote on Walters' nomination. After that vote, Walters' appointment would still be subject to a vote before the full 100-member Senate.

Following are excerpts of the prepared testimony presented to the committee by Walters and Hatch:

(begin excerpt)

TESTIMONY OF JOHN P. WALTERS, NOMINEE
TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY,
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE

October 10, 2001

Illicit drug use and its consequences exact a tremendous toll on our society. As you know, developing an effective arid comprehensive drug control policy is a challenge that is complex and multifaceted. This challenge has been made somewhat less daunting by the history of strong bipartisan commitment to our shared national goals of reducing drug use, especially among our youth.

The President shares this commitment and made clear when he nominated me for this position that the drug issue is of foremost concern for' the public health and national security of the United States. I fully endorse the President's pledge to increase federal funding for drug treatment by $1.6 billion over five years and look forward to working with Secretary Thompson on this important initiative. I strongly support the President in his heartfelt belief that in order to succeed in our efforts to craft a solution to this problem, the Congress and Executive Branch must transcend traditional political and party boundaries. . . .

I have always believed that the fundamental elements of effective drug control policy are consistent with common sense. We need to prevent young people from experimenting with drugs in the first instance and starting on the path that all too often leads to addiction, crime, and personal and familial destruction. Vile need to help those who have become addicted get off and stay off drugs. We need to use the coercive power of the criminal justice system and other supply reduction programs to support domestic prevention and treatment efforts, as well as pressuring and disrupting drug trafficking organizations.

Despite the all-too-frequent claims of a vocal few that our drug control efforts are without merit and destined to fail, we all know that dedicated Americans throughout our country are making a difference every day in their communities by teaching the young about the dangers of drug use, treating the addicted, and protecting fellow citizens from the predatory drug trade and the destruction it inflicts. These community leaders deserve our full and unqualified support. They deserve our sincere thanks and our best efforts to bring the widest possible attention to their important work.

But even though much is being achieved, none of us---particularly those working hardest in this field--is satisfied with the status quo. Despite our best efforts, there are too many of us using drugs. There are particularly too many of our young people using drugs at very early ages. There are too many of us chronically addicted: The drug trade is too prosperous.

Every responsible American wants to see us join together as individual communities and collectively to better address all aspects of the drug problem. Every responsible American wants to see us drive down drug use to lower levels. Every responsible American wants us to counter the irresponsible counsel of the legalization movement, which would sacrifice our the health and safety of our children to advance its own selfish agenda. We owe it to those concerned citizens to forge a united effort with renewed confidence, commitment, and effectiveness to reduce the drug problem substantially in the next several years and maintain our diligence to keep it in decline. Drug legalization, it has been noted, is a counsel of despair, a policy of hopelessness. Let me be clear, our experience--our recent experience, even--teaches one lesson more clearly than any other: when concerned Americans push back on the drug problem, it recedes.

I began working on drug policy issues during my service at the U.S. Department of Education in the rnid-1980's. As an assistant to then Education Secretary William J. Bennett, I became the principal staff member responsible for managing drug prevention policy and programs for the Department. During my tenure, which ranged from September of 1985 to September of 1988, I was:

-- principal author of an Education Department handbook, "Schools Without Drugs," a guide for effective education and prevention programs for parents and educators. Millions of copies have been requested and distributed free-of-charge to schools and families throughout the country;

-- senior manager for the Department of Education's recognition program that gave national attention to schools with effective drug prevention programs;

-- senior manager for the "Schools Without Drugs" public service campaign that broadcast prevention education advertisements;

-- senior manager for the "Challenge" newsletter that distributed drug prevention strategies and successes to every school district in the country; and

-- senior manager for the implementation of the expanded prevention funding initiated by the 1986 Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act.

William Bennett and I left the Department of Education in the fall of 1988 to found the Madison Center, a non-profit institute designed to continue our work on education reform and drug prevention education. We were just beginning our new efforts when President George Bush nominated Mr. Bennett to be the first Director of the ONDCP and he asked me to join him as his Chief of Staff. I served at ONDCP from early 1989 through the end of the Administration, as Chief of Staff for the first half of that Administration, as Acting Director from December 1990 to March 7991, and as Deputy Director for Supply Reduction from May 1991 until the end of the Administration.

During my tenure at ONDCP-with the strong bipartisan support of the Congress--we sought to achieve an expanded and more balanced drug control strategy. In fact, I managed the drafting of the first National Drug Control Strategy to make our goals clear and to subject them to debate and further improvement. I am proud that the first Strategy highlighted drug treatment as a fundamental component of our multi-faceted approach at a time when treatment programs did not enjoy popular support. With the help of Congress we put resources in place to support the policies and programs advanced by the Strategy, many of which continue to enjoy tremendous success. From FY 1989 to FY 1993 (in 1996 constant dollars);

-- overall federal spending for drug control programs increased by 61 percent or by $4.9 billion as compared with the FY 89 level;

-- prevention increased by 88 percent or $873 million;

-- treatment increased by 74 percent or $1.04 billion;

-- domestic law enforcement increased by 84 percent or $2.9 billion;

-- interdiction decreased by 8 percent or $136 million; and

-- international programs increased by 52 percent or $193 million.

It is important to note that those budgets funded expanded anti-drug interdiction and national security programs by making drug control a central priority for the limited resources of those agencies of government, not by redirecting funds from agencies tasked with carrying out critical domestic demand reduction programs.

Currently, we are enjoying significant bipartisan interest in expanding our nation's commitment to effective drug treatment programs and research. I am proud to have been a major architect of a drug strategy from 1989 to 1992 that called for, and obtained, larger increases in treatment resources than any administration before or since. We targeted those resources to areas experiencing a heavy demand for drug treatment services by creating a capacity expansion program (that remains a critical component of our treatment infrastructure), launching new initiatives to match better the specific needs of individual drug addicts with proper treatment modalities, and expanding the availability of prison-based treatment programs.

In addition to the gains we made concerning drug treatment, I also am pleased that we were able to direct greatly expanded budgets and programs for drug prevention activities. In addition to enhancing substantially existing education and prevention programs, we launched a new $ 100 million per year community coalition initiative that enabled new federal funds to support a program created by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and mobilized the efforts of private service organizations in a campaign to discourage drug use by young people, as well as supporting the advertising campaign created by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

I firmly believe that the balanced policies and programs we established in that first Strategy, as well as the supporting budgets the Congress provided, helped make the efforts of millions of Americans more effective and contributed to real results;

-- By 1992, drug use in the United States had fallen to the lowest level of any time in the past quarter century;

-- Specifically, between 1985 and 1992 "current=' (defined as monthly) use of all illegal drugs by 12-17-year-olds dropped by almost 60 percent; marijuana use dropped by over 66 percent; and cocaine use dropped by over 78 percent.

Those achievements are measures of what we can accomplishment when we commit to working together to overcome the many challenges posed by illicit drugs. Those achievements are not the result of our efforts in government, but of many, many dedicated Americans working together on all aspects of drug control policy. It would be an arrogant mistake for national leaders to take credit for these reductions which in most cases are the hard-fought victories of parents and teachers, of police officers and members of the clergy, of neighborhood orange-hat patrols and treatment providers. The people who work hard each and every day, focusing on individual to individual, are where success in this effort rests. But they also need--and deserve---national leadership, and the resources that support their efforts. If confirmed, I will dedicate my office to working within the Administration and with the Congress to provide the support they so richly deserve.

Thank you for this opportunity to testify and I look forward to answering any questions the Committee may have.

(end excerpt)

(begin excerpt)

Statement of Senator Orrin G. Hatch
Before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Hearing on the nomination of
John Walters to be Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

Mr. Chairman, it is with great confidence and high regard that I introduce to the Committee John Walters, the nominee for Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, ONDCP. As everyone is keenly aware, Mr. Walters' hearing was postponed on September 11 literally in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Since the September 11 attacks, there has been a lot of discussion about the nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism. We know insurgent groups in Colombia have long been characterized as narco-terrorists because of their known use of cocaine proceeds to fund terrorist acts, including the kidnaping of Americans abroad. We know that proceeds from the manufacturing and trafficking of opium poppy have helped sustain Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization Al Qadea for years. We also know that terrorist organizations routinely launder the proceeds from drug trafficking and use the funds to support and expand their operations internationally, including purchasing and trafficking illegal weapons. I'm sure in the coming months and years, we will continue to learn about the clandestine connection between drugs and terrorists.

Mr. Walters will be starting his tenure as Drug Czar at a very precarious time, but I know he is the right person to fill this position. He will have to work closely with law enforcement and intelligence authorities to ensure that the international component of the nation's drug control policy is designed not only to prevent drugs from being trafficked into America but also to prevent the manufacturing and sale of drugs for the purpose of funding terrorist activities. Mr. Walters is eminently qualified to carry out this task, and I am confident that he will be a first-rate Director. . . . .

John Walters career in public service has prepared him well for this office. Like you Mr. Chairman, he has worked tirelessly over the last two decades helping to formulate and improve comprehensive policies designed to keep drugs away from our children. Also like you, he truly has unparalleled knowledge and experience in all facets of drug control policy. As an assistant to Secretary Bennett from 1985-1988, Mr. Walters was responsible for managing drug prevention policy and programs for the Department of Education. As Director Bennett's chief-of-staff at ONDCP, Mr. Walters was responsible for drafting and implementing a sensible and effective drug control policy. And as Deputy Director for Supply Reduction at ONDCP, Mr. Walters formulated interdiction policies to keep drugs away from America's youth. Lest there be any doubt that Mr. Walters' efforts proved successful, let me point out to the Committee that during Mr. Walters' tenure at the Department of Education and ONDCP, drug use in America had fallen to its lowest level at any time in the past 25 years, and drug use by teens plunged over 50 percent. Since leaving ONDCP in 1993, Mr. Walters has remained a vocal committed advocate for curbing drug use. He has testified numerous times before Congress, including this Committee, on drug policy issues, and he has also written extensively about that subject. Since 1996, he has served as president of the Philanthropy Roundtable. In that capacity, he has worked with foundations and private donors in many areas of charitable giving, including support for both drug prevention and treatment programs.

Mr. Walters enjoys widespread support from distinguished members of the law enforcement community, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Troopers Coalition, and from mainstream members from the prevention and treatment communities, including the Partnership for Drug Free America, National Families in Action, and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. Yet, despite this groundswell of support, ever since Mr. Walters' name was first mentioned in connection with the Drug Czar position, some individuals and groups have attacked his nomination with a barrage of unfounded criticisms. Today I am pleased to have the opportunity to set the record straight and to emphasize why our country needs John Walters confirmed now.

We all agree that if we are to win the war on drugs in America, we need a comprehensive policy aimed at reducing both the demand for and supply of drugs. Mr. Walters' accomplished record demonstrates that he has always believed in such a comprehensive approach that focuses on both demand and supply reduction. For example, in testimony given before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991, Mr. Walters, then acting Director of ONDCP, laid out a national drug control strategy that included the following guiding principles: educating our citizens about the dangers of drug use; placing more addicts in effective treatment programs; expanding the number and quality of treatment programs; reducing the supply and availability of drugs on our streets; and dismantling trafficking organizations through tough law enforcement and interdiction measures. And again, in Congressional testimony given in 1993, Mr. Walters reaffirmed that an effective anti-drug strategy must "integrate efforts to reduce the supply of as well as the demand for illegal drugs."

Some have voiced concern that Mr. Walters will put prosecution before prevention, tougher laws before treatment. To the contrary, Mr. Walters' record is replete with calls for more and better prevention and treatment programs. For instance, the drug strategy announced by Mr. Walters in 1991 had as its highest priority "preventing drug use before it starts." And he wasn't just mouthing those words, for prevention spending increased by 88 percent during his five-year tenure at ONDCP. No other component, including law enforcement and interdiction, was increased more than prevention. His record on drug treatment belies the concern as well. In 1993, he testified that more and better treatment was sorely needed, and he worked to remedy the shortfall. During his tenure at ONDCP, spending on drug treatment increased 74 percent. Mr. Chairman, this is not the record of a man who would turn his back on prevention and treatment efforts. . . .

John Walters knows what it takes to reduce youth drug use, and he will be taking the helm at ONDCP at a critical time. According to the most recent national surveys, youth drug use, particularly of so-called "club drugs" such as Ecstasy and GHB, tragically is again on the rise. Over the past two years, current use of ecstasy among 12th graders increased dramatically by 140 percent. During this same period, the number of emergency room visits resulting from the use of ecstasy increased 295 percent, and 80 percent of those visits were by patients under the age of 25. It is simply shocking that by the time of graduation from high school, over 50 percent of our youth have used an illicit drug. We must act immediately to reverse these soaring numbers and to prevent our youth from endangering their lives. I look forward to hearing from Mr. Walters what he plans to do to reverse these dangerous developments.

Fortunately, Mr. Walters will have extraordinarily talented deputies to help him with this daunting challenge. In selecting Scott Burns-a Utahn I might add-to handle State and Local Affairs, Dr. Barry Crane to head the Office of Supply Reduction, Dr. Andrea Barthwell to lead the Office of Demand Reduction, and Mary Ann Solberg as the Deputy Czar, the President has assembled a team of dedicated and knowledgeable professionals. I look forward to working with Mr. Walters, his deputies, and the Administration in finding new ways to solve - rather than surrender to - America's drug problem. . . .

(end excerpt)