Clinton aide extols drug fight
Cutting children's usage a key goal
By DAVID KLIGMAN
ASSOcIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey traded barbs with
medical marijuana advocates Wednesday while repeating the Clinton
administration's commitment to preventing illegal drug use among
children.

McCaffrey's appearance in San Francisco came one week after the release
of a study that found drug use is declining overall in America while
rising among youths.

A small contingent of medical marijuana supporters kept raising their
cause during a questionandanswer session after McCaffrey's speech to
the Commonwealth Club.

"Stop putting the drug problems of young people, which is very real, on
the backs of sick people," Vic Hernandez, the executive director of a San
Francisco cannabis club, told McCaffrey.

McCaffrey responded angrily and said the discussion about using
marUuana for medical purposes was diverting attention from the more
important issues of preventing drug use and improving treatment programs
for addicts.

Californians last year approved a state law allowing AIDS patients to
grow and possess marijuana for medical use with a doctor's
recommendation.

"I think the problems are so enormous that if we're not careful we'll
waste our political energy debating medical pot," McCaffrey said.

Medical marijuana supporter Chris Conrad mocked McCaffrey's warning that
doctors who prescribed or recommended marijuana would be punished. In
April, a federal judge called the Clinton administration's policy vague
and contradictory.

White House officials later clarified their stance, permitting doctors
to discuss marUuana with their patients as long as they did not help
patients obtain the drug.

McCaffrey's daylong trip to the Bay Area culminated with an appearance
before the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Conference in
Oakland. At the meeting, he said he was seeking $175 million in federal
funds annually for a fiveyear ad campaign designed to tell kids about
the perils of drug use.

"That's the same amount as the Pizza Hut ad budget," McCaffrey said. "If
there's one thing in America that works with great effectiveness it is
the advertising media."

Congress must still approve the proposal, which is part of the
administration's $16 billion drug budget. If passed, the program will
allow the government to purchase antidrug commercials for use during
primetime TV programs, as well as radio spots and magazine and billboard
ads.

The campaign will target youths 9 to 17.

Staff writer Carolyn McMillan contributed to this story.