Drug czar John Walters praised Dallas, Texas officials for helping to prevent the spread of so-called "cheese" heroin to other communities, but also said he was working with lawmakers to add "cheese" to the Office of National Drug Control Strategy's (ONDCP) national anti-drug media campaign.

The Dallas Morning News reported Aug. 2 that Walters said that concerns about the mix of black-tar heroin and Tylenol PM catching on outside of Dallas is "one of the reasons we're trying to watch this closely." On the other hand, Walters said he was working with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to add "cheese" to the nationwide media campaign, which currently focuses largely on youth marijuana use.

During his visit, Walters was briefed by the Dallas Cheese Heroin Task Force and spoke with parents of children who had died from overdoses of the drug. "I came here to hear from those who are working against this terrible phenomenon," he said. Walters also announced drug-testing grants for six Texas school districts.

Michelle Hemm, director of Dallas' Phoenix Academy, expressed hope that the attention to "cheese" would translate into greater funding of addiction treatment. "I'm hopeful that ... the powers that be will look at Dallas," she said. "The fact that people have rallied behind this is great."