Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats expressed concern over the nomination of John Walters as Drug Czar at yesterday’s US Senate confirmation hearing.
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), who presided over the hearing, sparred with Walters over the nominee’s controversial stance regarding drug treatment and addiction. Biden called Walters’ past writings describing treatment as “not very effective” and “the latest manifestation of liberals’ commitment to a therapeutic state” as troubling, and characterized Walters’ opinions as “certainly not in line with my drug policy views.” Biden’s criticism was joined by John Schwarzlose, President of the Betty Ford Drug Rehabilitation Center in California, who wrote in an October 9 letter to the Judiciary Committee that, “Mrs. Ford and I are convinced that Mr. Walters may not have the confidence in the treatment and prevention strategies that we believe are necessary for the creation and implementation of a balanced and thoughtful approach to US drug policy.”
Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) also voiced strong opposition against Walters. “My fear is that for Mr. Walters, there is no question about drugs to which a hard-line law enforcement response is not the answer, even to complicated issues on which there is diverse opinion,” he said. Specifically, Leahy criticized Walters’ support for mandatory minimum sentencing and federal efforts to punish physicians who recommend marijuana therapy to patients in states where such treatment is legal. Leahy also challenged Walters’ assertion that America’s prison population is not disproportionately comprised of young, black males, many of whom have been convicted of drug crimes. “In short, I am not yet convinced that he is the right person to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy,” he said.
Senators Kennedy (D-MA), Kohl (D-WI) and Durbin (D-IL) expressed similar concerns, including Walters’ refusal to acknowledge the role of race in drug war enforcement and sentencing. An October 5 letter opposing John Walters, from John Conyers (D-MI), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and 20 other House members offered additional criticism, calling the nominee “woefully ill informed on the facts of the day and insensitive to the needs of the African-American community.”
The Senate committee is expected to vote on Walters’ nomination by late next week.
For more information, please contact Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.
