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Drugs Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs'

Change in terminology signals shift in drug policy towards treatment instead of jail

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 14, 2009 4:06 AM CDT

(Newser) – The Obama administration's newly confirmed drug czar wants to ditch the term "War on Drugs," the Wall Street Journal reports. The combative term is a barrier to dealing with the issue properly, said Gil Kerlikowske, highlighting the administration's plans to deal with drug abuse as a public health issue and focus on treatment instead of incarceration.

"Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," said Kerlikowske, formerly Seattle's chief of police. "We're not at war with people in this country." Kerlikowske said that while he doesn't support the legalization of drugs, he supports efforts such as needle-exchange programs.

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Former Seattle Police Chief R. Gil Kerlikowske, has been confirmed as head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Gil Kerlikowske has been criticized for having an allegedly permissive attitude towards marijuana use during his time at Seattle's police chief. (AP Photo/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Andy Rogers)

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We're not at war with people in this country.
- White House Office of National Drug Control Policy chief Gil Kerlikowske

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Drugs Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs'