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May 14, 2009

Drug Czar Calls for End to “War on Drugs”
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The nation’s new drug czar is calling for an end to the so-called “war
on drugs.” In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gil Kerlikowske
said, “People see a war as a war on them. We’re not at war with people
in this country.” A former Seattle police chief, Kerlikowske has
emphasized treatment and harm-reduction approaches to curbing drug use
rather than standard US methods of criminalization. Kerlikowske also
says he supports needle-exchange programs as part of viewing drugs as an
issue of public health.



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