THE TOP DRUG WARRIOR TALKS TOUGH
By William J. Bennett

(FORTUNE Magazine) – Like the Pope in Stalin's famous put-down, William J. Bennett, the President's designated drug czar, is a general with no divisions at his disposal. Because the war on drugs is run by a host of independent agencies and Cabinet departments, Bennett's primary weapon is thunderous rhetoric. Since taking office, this Ph.D. in philosophy and former Secretary of Education has commanded headlines with his tough talk. He wishes the military could shoot down small planes carrying narcotics into the U.S. He'd like to execute drug kingpins and once observed that ''beheading'' them wasn't a bad idea. What about legalizing drugs, at least less dangerous ones like marijuana? ''Moral surrender,'' roars the thunderer. ''Why in God's name foster the use of a drug that makes you stupid?'' From his platform at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Bennett recently outlined his views for FORTUNE: -- On the legal limits to the drug war: ''It's a funny war when the 'enemy' is entitled to due process of law and a fair trial. By the way, I'm in favor of due process. But that kind of slows things down.'' -- On destroying the drug cartels: ''We would go after them even if it didn't make prudent public-policy sense, because these are the enemies of America and of our children. But it also makes sense.'' -- On reducing the supply of drugs: ''We grossly underestimated how much is coming in.'' Still, record seizures and increased interdiction of drugs before they enter the U.S., he claims, ''will make a difference in the long run by increasing the price of doing business.'' -- On tougher law enforcement: ''There's no way to win when the dealer on the streets looks out and says, 'The odds of my going to jail are one in five.' The odds have got to be better.'' -- On his claim that one million addicts are beyond treatment: ''It's not my triage. They've done it to themselves. You can stand up and say that everybody who has had a serious bout with cocaine is going to recover. But you're lying.'' -- On the hazards of drugs: ''This stuff does something to the brain, to the mind, to the soul, from which many people cannot recover. If this were something you could get into and get a shot or take a couple of aspirin and be okay, it wouldn't be the calamity it is.'' -- On the limits to Washington's role: ''There are things the federal government can't do. Restore the moral authority of families, churches, and schools, and you get rid of 85% of this problem. Meanwhile, we have a hell of a short-term problem.''