Drug czar visits New Orleans

Bill Barrow
The Times-Picayune
August 25, 2009

Visiting New Orleans for the first time as President Barack Obama's drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske said Tuesday that he was encouraged by the energy that local authorities and community groups are putting into attacking the crime-riddled city's widespread drug problems.

And he joined U.S. Attorney Jim Letten and New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley in calling for an increased national focus on treatment and prevention, rather than simply prosecuting and imprisoning offenders.  He told a roundtable of local leaders that he understands the effort also takes money.

"You can have a great strategy, but if you don't put the resources behind it, it's just another piece of paper, " he said, later highlighting the 2010 federal budget's investment in drug courts and other community programs.

Read Bill Barrow's complete story at: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/08/federal_drug_czar_calls_for_in.html