\u201cBumper sticker\u201d approaches are politically appealing and popular, but they aren\u2019t the right ways to deal with complex major issues connected to drugs and the toll they take, the nation\u2019s drug czar said Wednesday during an appearance in Eckstein Hall.<\/p>\n
Neither calling for a war on drugs nor calling for legalization of drugs are effective paths, said, Gil Kerlikowske, whose actual title is director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Smart, well-structured approaches that combine law enforcement, treatment options, and prevention efforts create a third path that can yield good results, Kerlikowske said.<\/p>\n
The \u201cdrug war\u201d of the 1980s and \u201890s was \u201ca totally inadequate answer to what is really a very complex problem,\u201d he said. Using law enforcement alone, \u201cwe\u2019re not capable of solving drug problems.\u201d But using multiple approaches can show genuine and positive results.<\/p>\n
Kerlikowske cited a nationwide decline in cocaine use \u2013 he estimated the decline at 40% — as an example of multiple factors coming together to help reduce a problem. He said the factors include reduced cocaine production in Columbia, better interdiction of drug shipments by law enforcement, and widespread recognition among potential users in the US of the dangers and risks of the drug.<\/p>\n
Formerly police chief in Seattle and Buffalo, Kerlikowske said of his fellow police chiefs, \u201cnone of us every talked about the war on drugs.\u201d He said they knew \u201cyou can\u2019t arrest your way out of this problem.\u201d Kerlikowske said drug abuse is a disease that is diagnosable, treatable, and often preventable.<\/p>\n
He was firm in opposition to legalizing drugs, includingmarijuana, and supported increased efforts to deal with abuse of legal prescription drugs. Prescription drugs kill more people than either gunshot wounds or automobile accidents, he said, a fact he described as eye-opening for him.<\/p>\n
A lot has been learned about drug prevention programs and how to make them more effective, Kerlikowske said. He said research showed that if people reach the age of 20 without developing drug or alcohol abuse problems, the chances are very high they will never become abusers. And reaching young people, including through social media, with messages such as urging them to keep control of their own lives can be effective.<\/p>\n
Treatment programs, including \u201cdrug courts\u201d which can put a priority on how to get someone who has committed a crime on a better path in life, also bring good results, he said. Kerlikowske said anyone who isn\u2019t moved by listening to the stories of people who \u201cgraduate\u201d from treatment and other efforts ordered through a drug court \u201chas a heart of stone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked by Gousha, Marquette Law School\u2019s distinguished fellow in law and public policy, if implementation of the new federal health care law will have help deal with drug abuse, Kerlikowske said the law will make 23 million more people eligible for coverage of drug treatment<\/p>\n
And asked about the passage of referendums in Washington state and Colorado that make adult use of marijuana for recreational purposes largely legal, Kerlikowske agreed the laws put the federal government in \u201ca conundrum\u201d because such use is illegal under federal law. He is not responsible for law enforcement and said he expects there will be decisions coming soon on what the federal approach will be.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re in for a continuing confusing time,\u201d when it comes to marijuana law and law enforcement, he said. But he was firm in opposition to legalizing marijuana. \u201cWe don\u2019t see any of the science and the facts supporting this,\u201d he said. He criticized state laws that legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes and expressed interest in work to provide medication that uses ingredients in marijuana without providing the \u201chigh\u201d associated with it.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn, who also took part in the forum, said he supported Kerlikowske\u2019s views on using multiple approaches to dealing with drug issues. Flynn said when he was a high-ranking Massachusetts public safety official, he oversaw the state corrections budget. He said he realized quickly that he was dealing not just with a prison system but with what was really the largest mental health, drug addiction, and alcohol addiction systems in the state. To reduce crime, you need to be effective in dealing with those issues, he said.<\/p>\n
Flynn said the biggest drug problems in Milwaukee are related to marijuana. \u201cMarijuana drives the trade right now,\u201d he said. There is big money involved in marijuana dealing and it is a factor behind a lot of violence.<\/p>\n
Kerlikowske\u2019s title has often been reduced to \u201cdrug czar.\u201d Asked by Gousha how he felt about that, Kerlikowske didn\u2019t answer for himself, but said, \u201dMy wife loves being called the czarina.\u201d<\/p>\n