| | | | John Walters on the nation's opioid epidemic Dear Friends,
The Foundation for Constitutional Government is pleased to announce the release of a Conversation with John P. Walters on Conversations with Bill Kristol. Chapter descriptions are attached (click on the images below to view each chapter).
A veteran of the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, John Walters was "Drug Czar" of the George W. Bush administration (director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy from 2001-2009). In this Conversation, Walters discusses the opioid epidemic and the country's shocking passivity about addressing the crisis seriously and comprehensively. Reflecting on the devastating consequences of the opioid threat, Walters makes a compelling case for fighting back—through urgent changes to the way we approach law enforcement, combating foreign sources of supply, education about drug abuse, and treatment for addiction.
To view the other Conversations that have been previously posted, click here.
This Conversation and all previous releases are also available as audio podcasts on iTunes and Stitcher.
Best,
Andy Zwick
Executive Director |
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| Below are excerpts from the Conversation: |
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On the opioid epidemic WALTERS: We need prominent national figures to tell the truth about [the opioid crisis]. It's extremely dangerous and it's getting worse. You don't hear that very often, except President Trump has talked about the carnage out there, and has been more serious. Talking to political figures in Washington, when they go back home, they hear about this. But elites are behind. If you're living in West Virginia, or Kentucky, or Ohio, or Pennsylvania, or Michigan—not to mention New England—you've been harshly educated by overdose deaths and the spread of addiction. You can watch it in the news media. And you weekly hear of another prominent person who has died of an overdose. It's very important to start telling people what the reality is here. They feel it; they see it confirmed in the news media. There's a chance of doing that. We need to try to reduce some of the demand and to make people more serious [about the threat]. But you have to also reduce the supply. |
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On the need for urgent response WALTERS: [Drugs] make people's lives out of control. They can't direct their lives. They can't be free. They end up being slaves to the addiction. I think most Americans have experienced this, either in family or in friends: these substances change people; they become somebody different while they're under the influence. Libertarians [argue that] people should get to decide what's in their body. Except that the [person] that decides changes as a result of these substances. Now, they can be treated; they can come out of this. There are millions of people walking around who are in recovery, and they're a wonderful example of what hope there is. However, when you dump more of these substances into a society, it's a matter of biochemistry that a certain number of people will use [drugs] and a subset of those will become addicted. If you [don't fight back], you stop being a free people. |
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On how to combat the supply of drugs from beyond our borders WALTERS: [We need] to go across the entire chain. It's vulnerable in multiple areas, but there's not just one place where you can cut the supply line and be successful. The border is not an ideal place to stop it, because you're [unlikely to] have complete surveillance at the border. [You have to] attack the entire network. You want to know the higher probability vehicles or people that are bringing it in. You want to know the places where it's being manufactured. You want to know where the precursors are coming from and cut them off. You want to stop the money; you want to stop the connections to people and the communications to people who are distributing it…. Let's shut them down. We have done that in the past. We did this with cocaine in Colombia; we've done this with meth. |
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About Conversations with Bill Kristol. Conversations with Bill Kristol is an online interview program hosted by Weekly Standard editor at large Bill Kristol and produced by The Foundation for Constitutional Government. A forum for substantive, thought-provoking dialogue on pressing issues in the news and American politics, Conversations features informal discussions between Kristol and guests on a diverse array of issues of public concern—from the American presidency and America's role in the world to the ideas that have shaped Western civilization. Recent guests include Senator Ben Sasse, former world chess champion and human rights activist Garry Kasparov, Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod, business founder Peter Thiel, best-selling author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, former commander in Iraq and Afghanistan General David Petraeus, former U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff General Jack Keane, and Harvard professor Harvey Mansfield. New conversations are released bi-weekly. Users can access Conversations at www.conversationswithbillkristol.org to watch all conversations free-of-charge, read guest biographies, download podcasts and transcripts, and view additional footage. About the Foundation for Constitutional Government. The Foundation for Constitutional Government is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization devoted to supporting the serious study of politics and political philosophy, with particular attention to the Constitutional character of American government. The Foundation's online programming includes Conversations with Bill Kristol, Great Thinkers, a comprehensive site devoted to political philosophers such as John Locke and Alexis de Tocqueville, as well as websites devoted to important Contemporary Thinkers such as Harvey Mansfield, Irving Kristol, and James Q. Wilson. Media contact: Andy Zwick 917-423-1422 AZwick@constitutionalgovt.org |
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