Drug Czar to Push Treatment

A kinder, gentler war on drugs might be in the works under Obama's new drug czar. Yesterday Vice President Biden nominated Seattle Police Chief R. Gil Kerlikowske as the latest drug czar and indicated a change in the focus of the war on drugs. According to Biden and Kerlikowske, more emphasis will be placed on treating, instead of incarcerating, those arrested for drug-related offenses. "The success of our efforts to reduce the flow of drugs is largely dependent on our ability to reduce demand for them," said Kerlikowske, whose stepson has been arrested in the past on drug charges. Unlike past administrations, the White House will not place the drug control director in a Cabinet position, so Biden can play a larger role in policy-making.