Pubdate: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 Source: Associated Press (Wire) Copyright: 2001 Associated Press Author: Karen Gullo DEA HEAD SAYS NO TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - The new chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration said Monday he would strive to enforce the federal ban on medical marijuana. Speaking to reporters on his first official day on the job, Asa Hutchinson - an Arkansas Republican who gave up a House seat to take the DEA job - said he would try to "send the right signal." Federal law prohibits the sale of marijuana for medical uses. Some states, however, let patients use marijuana for such purposes. "The question is how do you address that from an enforcement standpoint," he said. "You're not going to tolerate a violation of law, but at the same time there are a lot of different relationships, a lot of different aspects that we have to consider as we develop that enforcement policy." Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and Washington allow sick people to receive, possess, grow or smoke marijuana for medical purposes without fear of state prosecution. Those states have done little to change their statutes since the Supreme Court ruled federal law prohibits people from dispensing marijuana to the ill, saying it's up to federal authorities to enforce the court's decision. Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor who served as a House prosecutor in former President Clinton's impeachment trial, said the scientific and medical communities have thus far determined there is no legitimate medical use for marijuana. "If they continue to study it, we will listen to them," he said. Speaking moments before his swearing-in ceremony at DEA headquarters, Hutchinson said his priorities would be to continue working with state and local law enforcement organizations to fight drug crime, to strengthen ties with international law enforcement agencies to combat drug smuggling and to step up use of technology to "stay ahead of drug traffickers." Acknowledging the tough road ahead, Hutchinson said he was encouraged that in the last 15 years, cocaine use has fallen by 75 percent. But he said acknowledged there was a "sense that our efforts are not as fruitful as they could be." On other issues, Hutchinson said: The U.S. government should continue supporting Colombia's fight against drug smugglers. Education and demand reduction would be as important as law enforcement at the DEA under his leadership. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws have proved effective in combatting drug crime, but judges should have some discretion in sentencing decisions. He would consider improvements to DEA's supervision of paid informants, including creation of a central registry to keep track of how they are used. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake