NCJ Number
153931
Date Published
1988
Length
129 pages
Annotation
This hearing presents testimony on S. 789, a bill to provide the framework necessary to pursue a coordinated and effective national and international narcotics control policy, primarily through the creation of the position of "drug czar."
Abstract
This legislation would establish a "single, competent, and responsible high-level official of the United States Government, who is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and who is accountable to the Congress and the American people, will be charged with the responsibility of coordinating the overall direction of United States policy, resources, and operations with respect to drug control and abuse." A number of witnesses -- including Judiciary Committee members, representatives of the Office of Technology Assessment and the General Accounting Office, and representatives of various Federal agencies that have been involved in drug law enforcement -- support the bill. They argue that the current Federal organizational structure does not provide for centralized decisionmaking, policy monitoring, and coordination of all Federal drug law enforcement operations. Attorney General Edwin Meese III, as well as some Judiciary Committee members, on the other hand, argue that the organizational changes proposed in S. 789 are unnecessary because of the effectiveness of the current organizational structure. They also maintain that it would undermine the authority of the Justice Department and the Attorney General in its drug enforcement efforts, which, they argue, have been successful in countering international drug trafficking. Written statements of the witnesses and a text of S. 789 are included.