Date: 2001-12-05
Speaker: JOHN CONYERS (democrat)
Chamber: S

to oppose this nomination. Considering that Mr. CONYERS was such a strong supporter of Asa Hutchinsons nomination to head the Drug Enforcement Administration that he took the time to write me about it. I take his strong opposition to this nomination seriously. Mr. Walters reaction to popular and legislative judgments by various States to allow limited use of marijuana for medical purposes also concerns me. Numerous states have considered and passed medical marijuana initiatives. some by substantial majorities. Mr. Walters has responded to this trend by advocating that the federal government use the Controlled Substances Act to take away the federal licenses from any physician who prescribes marijuana to a patient in states that permit the practice. Such a step would prevent these doctors from prescribing or possessing any medication that is federally controlled. basically making the practice of medicine impossible. In addition to running roughshod over any federalism concerns whatsoever. Mr. Walters draconian response raises questions about his sense of proportion. Although shutting down the process as he has suggested may be effective in rendering these Statepassed initiatives meaningless. his proposal is a very blunt instrument. to say" the least. Mr. Walters response to written questions on this issue did not alleviate my concerns. I asked him whether the Federal government should make it a priority to prosecute people who distribute marijuana to ill people in States that have approved medical marijuana initiatives. He answered that he supports "enforcing the law." and then briefly discussed the relatively small size of the DEA. without addressing whether medical marijuana cases should be a priority. I am all the more disappointed by the insufficiency of this answer in light of last months DEA raid on a California center that provided marijuana to the ill in accordance with California law. It is absurd that such a matter has become a government priority. given our growing problems with heroin. methamphetamines. and other far more powerful and dangerous drugs. I asked Mr. Walters recently about this raid. but he said he believed it would be inappropriate to make any substantive comment prior to his confirmation. Mr. Walters has been a prominent spokesman for active interdiction efforts in Latin America. and I fear he would seek to have the United States overextend its antidrug role in Latin America. Prior to the development of Plan Colombia. he said that "we need to do more in Latin America" in "[f]ighting drugs at the source." He has also been a consistent supporter of increasing the U.S. militarys role in preventing drugs from entering. the United States. I agree that reducing the supply of drugs would have tremendous benefits for our nation. At the same time. I agree with President Bush that the reason that so many drugs find their way to our shores is because there is substantial demand for them. The. costs- both financial and politicalof our involvement in the internal affairs of Latin American nations require close scrutiny. I have been skeptical about many elements of the illconsidered Plan Colombia. and we should be extremely cautious of additional proposals of that nature. In addition. Mr. Walters has been sharply critical of Mexico. calling it a "narco state" and a "safe haven" for the illegal drug industry. Although these comments were made about predecessor governments to the Fox administration. they cannot help Mr. Walters efforts to implement the Bush administrations appropriate policy of strengthening our ties with Mexico. Mr. Walters has forcefully expressed his positions on drugrelated and other issues for the better part of two decades. both in and out of government. He is a staunch advocate for interdic. tion and punishment. but his record has not demonstrated a commitment to a comprehensive approach to our drug problems. When the Judiciary Committee held its confirmation hearing for this nominee. I said that I feared that Mr. Walters had a hardline law enforcement answer to every question about drug policy. at the expense of the balanced approach that we need to succeed in the struggle against drug abuse. I still hold those fears. but I hope that Mr. Walters exceeds my expectations in office.