Senate Approves Drug Bill

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a sweeping drug control bill late Thursday night--after shooting down a controversial amendment that would have allowed drug enforcement agents to open fire on airborne drug traffickers.

The House of Representatives has yet to vote on its version of the National Drug Control Strategy Init- iative, part of President Bush's "War onDrugs." The Senate anti-drug bill steps up fundingfor drug education, treatment programs and drugtrafficking control efforts.

The proposed amendment, by Sen. Mitch McConnell(R-Ky.), on airborne drug control was rejected52-48 after Senator John Glenn (D-Ohio) arguedthat the plan would put innocent civilian fliersat risk.

But 30 other amendments were added to the bill,including one by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)which would add 20 new federal judges to helphandle the increased number of drug-related cases.

But a Harvard expert whose writings have beeninfluential in the federal drug policy debate saidthat the new judges would have little effect.

"Twenty new federal judges would be nice," saidLecturer in Public Policy Mark A.R. Kleiman, "butit doesn't have anything to do with fighting thewar on drugs."

The bill was also amended 13 times by Sen.Joseph R. Biden (D-Del.), the chair of theJudiciary Committee. Among Biden's amendments weremeasures expanding treatment programs for addicts,hiring more federal agents to target drugtrafficking organizations, increasing funds forstate and local drug enforcement officials andextending incentives encouraging companies toresearch drug treatment.

The Senate also approved an amendment by Sen.Edward M. Kennedy '52-'54 (D-Mass.) that wouldprovide more money for substance abuse preventionand treatment programs.

Paul Donovan, Kennedy's press secretary, saidthat the amendment was part of an effort to takethe "demand approach" to fighting the drugproblem.

"The demand approach deals with getting to theroot of the problem through prevention, treatmentand education," said Donovan. He said attackingdemand is less popular than attempting to cutsupply, which tries to stop drugs from enteringthe country.

Kleiman criticized the Senate bill, saying itdid not provide adequate federal resources tofight the problem.

"This bill is not substantial," said Kleiman."The bill relies too much on the question ofwhether governors and mayors are willing to spendmoney required. I don't see any evidence thatspending of state and local funds is going tohappen.