Official: Obama To Name Seattle Chief Drug Czar
February 12, 2009
Washington, DC -- President Barack Obama has selected Seattle's police chief to be the nation's next drug czar, an administration official said Thursday.
Gil Kerlikowske will lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position that has in past administrations been a Cabinet-level post, according to an official who would speak only on the condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.
The official did not know if the position would be a Cabinet post, but said its status would become clear when Kerlikowske was announced. The official did not know when the appointment would be announced.
Kerlikowske — pronounced "kur-luh-COW-skee" — joined Seattle's police force in 2000. He previously worked at the U.S. Justice Department, where he oversaw community policing grants. He also has worked as a police officer in Florida and New York.
Advocacy groups greeted the news with mixed views.
"While we're disappointed that President Obama seems poised to nominate a police chief instead of a major public health advocate as drug czar, we're cautiously optimistic that Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske will support Obama's drug policy reform agenda," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a leading advocate of alternatives to the war on drugs.
"What gives us hope is the fact that Seattle has been at the cutting edge of harm reduction and other drug policy reform developments in the United States over the last decade," Nadelmann said.
Norm Stamper, who preceded Kerlikowske as Seattle's police chief and is now a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said he was disappointed a policy wonk wasn't the pick, but hopes Obama will use the position seriously.
"My belief is that he would be a huge improvement over his predecessor, John Walters. (Kerlikowske is) an open-minded, thoughtful individual who is much more likely than John Walters to entertain dialogue about the failure of the drug war and what an effective alternative might look like," Stamper said.
"I'm encouraged by President Obama's positions on medical marijuana, needle exchange and other drug policy issues, and Chief Kerlikowske seems like an effective advocate for carrying out that enlightened, progressive agenda."
Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Author: Philip Elliot, Associated Press Writer
Published: February 12, 2009
Copyright: 2009 The Associated Press
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