HHS' Thompson Annoyed by Walters Critics May 14, 2001
News Summary
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson voiced his annoyance about objections to the nomination of John P. Walters as the new director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Associated Press reported May 11.Some advocacy groups are concerned that Walters will return the country to the lock-'em-up policy of the 1980s, rather than furthering efforts to formulate a policy that emphasizes treatment. Treatment advocates grow even more concerned when they see that the drug policy office oversees more than $19 billion in anti-drug programs, but President Bush's proposed fiscal 2002 budget seeks just $1.6 billion in new money for treatment programs.
Bill Zimmerman, director of the Campaign for New Drug Policies, described Walters' appointment as "a thumb in the eye" to voters in 17 states who have approved ballot initiatives supporting medical use of marijuana and designating seized drug proceeds for drug treatment, rather than law enforcement. Walters is an outspoken critic of medical marijuana.
Thompson grew annoyed with the criticism, stating that President Bush is behind "a total frontal assault against drug abuse" through efforts that incorporate rehabilitation, education and interdiction.
"I'd tell those cynics out there, look at what the president has been trying to do. Listen to what's said. And just get out of our way if you're going to be a cynic, and let us do our job," Thompson said.
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