Pubdate: Thu, 29 Sep 2005
Source: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
Copyright: 2005 The Oregonian
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324
Author: Steve Suo
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Mark+Souder
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John)

U.S. DRUG CZAR, AIDE FACE METH CRITICISM

Policy - A Republican Congressman Calls For The Aide To Resign After 
A Briefing On Efforts To Curtail The Drug

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of a House panel that oversees drug policy 
on Wednesday called for the resignation of a top aide to White House 
drug czar John Walters, and he came close to demanding that Walters 
step down as well.

Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., spoke after a closed-door briefing in which 
Bush administration officials described their efforts to halt the 
spread of methamphetamine abuse.

Souder, chairman of the House committee that authorizes the 
activities of Walters' office, called the presentation "pathetic" and 
"an embarrassment." He said officials seemed more interested in 
defending the status quo than developing a meaningful national meth strategy.

"If they continue to defend the way they're going," he said, "it's 
time for some of the top people to resign."

Souder said later in an interview that he specifically wanted the 
resignation of Dave Murray, a Walters adviser, who led the briefing. 
But Souder also suggested Walters should go, as well.

"Clearly, if he does not lead, we need a change of the drug czar," 
Souder said. He added later, "If Director Walters and anyone else in 
that office agrees with what was said today, they should resign."

Murray, who was at the news conference, declined to comment 
extensively afterward.

"We had an interesting discussion roundtable with them," Murray said. 
"I thought it was pretty productive."

Ken Lisaius, a White House spokesman, said the administration 
"continues to have faith in Director Walters and his effort to 
continue to address the drug issues that our nation faces. He will 
continue to work on the part of the federal government and this 
administration to address those issues."

Souder and others from districts with large meth problems have 
repeatedly criticized the administration's effort to deal with the 
illicit drug, but his latest remarks were his strongest attack yet.

It comes a year after the Bush administration unveiled its National 
Synthetic Drugs Action Plan, a sweeping blueprint for curtailing the 
use of meth and its production. The administration's plan described 
in a wide array of directions for U.S. policy -- from working 
internationally to curb the illicit trade in pseudoephedrine, meth's 
main ingredient, to improved treatment.

But the availability of meth on the street has only grown since then. 
The purity of meth nationally continued to rise, as it has since 
1999, and is now at its highest level in a decade, The Oregonian 
found in a recent analysis of DEA data.

Members of the bipartisan House Methamphetamine Caucus say the White 
House has failed to turn its meth plan into a workable strategy that 
includes new policy initiatives or measurable goals. The lawmakers 
have attacked the administration for proposing budget cuts to local 
drug task forces this year and have accused Walters' office of 
downplaying the threat that meth poses.

Wednesday's meeting, attended by about 20 House members, featured 
officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, he Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the State Department.

Administration officials outlined success stories in the fight 
against meth, such as a sharp reduction in the number of "superlabs" 
operated by Mexican traffickers in the United States, according to 
people who attended.

The administration officials also discussed promising treatment 
techniques, and they said cooperation had improved with Hong Kong, 
Mexico and other countries where drug cartels obtain pseudoephedrine.

But participants said the officials did not request any additional 
help from Congress at a time when meth continues to flow into towns 
across the country.

"We already are aware of what the administration is doing," said Rick 
Larsen, D-Wash., a co-chair of the Meth Caucus. "We're not convinced 
it is part of a full, comprehensive strategy with the right amount of 
resources."

Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., one of the founders of the caucus, said 
administration officials seemed out of touch with the problems that 
House members are hearing back home from sheriffs and the children of 
meth users.

"The official message was, 'We are doing a great deal about 
methamphetamine right now,' " Baird said.

"If they're trying to tell us that they have fully grasped the 
problem and are responding to the problem proportionally to its 
impact on our communities, then they're either dissembling, or 
they're clueless," he said.

Souder's lack of confidence in the drug czar's office carries 
repercussions. At the extreme, Souder said, his committee has the 
authority to write legislation naming who should fill each position 
in Walters' office.

The more likely course, however, is less drastic. Souder said he has 
been unwilling so far to micromanage the activities of the office, 
allowing Walters to set priorities internally. But now, Souder said, 
he is willing to start directing specific action on meth.

"I don't trust the director's office to make the decisions anymore," 
Souder said.

Lisaius, the White House spokesman, said the administration 
recognizes the "critical threat posed by meth." Citing the Synthetic 
Drugs Action Plan, he said the White House is actively working to 
address the problem.

"Meth is undeniably a uniquely destructive drug," Lisaius said, "and 
it brings with it a litany of problems that need to be dealt with at 
all levels."
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman