Lawrence Ari Fleischer

“ If people are able to start conserving their supplies and if people decide conservation applies to their own personal use of their vehicles, it certainly can. So it all depends on the individual decisions that people make when it comes to conservation. But the President's focus is going to be on helping people through a comprehensive national energy policy that addresses the supply issue, the conservation issue, the infrastructure issue. That's where the focus will be. But this problem did not come up overnight ”

“ In the event that something -- somebody were to be tested positive, the White House policy is to treat this on an individual, case-by-case matter, to sit down and talk with the person whose test may have come back positive, to work with them to determine whether it was some type of casual usage or if there is a more serious problem, to determine what drugs were involved, and to work with that person and to help that person seek treatment and counseling. ”

“ The President is very concerned by some of the statistics that he has heard about the small percentage of drug users who account for the overwhelming majority of drug use in America. His focus, as he indicated today, is going to be on how to solve that problem through treatment. He talked about the treatment gap between the 5 million people who are hardcore drug abusers in this country, only 2 million of whom receive treatment. There are 3 million hardcore abusers who are not getting the treatment that the President would like them to be able to get. ”

“ He's spoken in the past about his problem with alcohol and how he overcame it. Is he going to bring that experience to the table as he leads this crusade? MR. FLEISCHER: It's a very interesting question. The President understands that for people who suffer from an addiction that everyone is different. People find their own ways to get these terrible problems resolved; some successfully, some unsuccessfully. He understands there's no one size fits all solution, and that's why his plan will seek to encourage a series of treatment programs across the country. ”

“ That's the reason he believes faith-based programs can be effective; he's seen their power. And there are other programs in America -- Alcoholics Anonymous, for example, the 12-step program that they have is, indeed a faith-based solution that many people who were previously alcoholics will tell you it was thanks to those types of programs that they were able to find a new way of life and a way of life that's alcohol-free. So true with drug programs in many cases. ”

“ And each time, particularly in the Midwest, it's been found to be attributable to pipeline problems, breakdowns that reduced the capacity to keep the gas supplies moving, to problems that dealt with blending of gasoline as part of some of the programs the federal government operates to keep the air clean. All of those have contributed in recent years to the rise in gas prices in the Midwest. The President is going to remain vigilant in terms of making certain that there's no price gouging. ”

“ You're not answering his question, yes or no -- do you think the Clinton administration tacitly endorsed -- MR. FLEISCHER: The President's focus is on the future, and that's what the President discussed today on how to stop people from -- fighting drugs. Q Oh, come on. Ari, you release figures that conveniently talk about an increase in drug use among a narrow group of Americans -- high school seniors -- that just happen to coincide exactly with the Clinton presidency, and you're saying that you've got a solution for a problem that you haven't diagnosed? ”

“ Every President always takes their term of office and has the right to reflect about statistics and whether things are going right or wrong. And in this case, President Bush's style of operation is to look forward and not point fingers. Q Your example is energy, and guess who's been outspoken about how the country lost its way and what wrong -- the Vice President of the United States. ”

“ As you heard today, that those people who do not take up drugs before the age of 21 are virtually guaranteed to never take up drugs in the rest of their life. And that's the reality on the streets. That's the way children are; that's the way adults become. Q But didn't overall drug use among the population as a whole decrease in the late '90s, the way the Clinton administration, at least, told us? MR. FLEISCHER: Statistics speak for themselves. You'll be able to see them; we've put them out. Q Ari, at the risk of asking another stupid question, I want to go back to the drug testing. ”

“ There are a variety of steps that the President will be taking and as he's already announced, such as the conservation initiatives that he's launched. By having the federal government reduce its need for electricity and for consumption, that will create more capacity which hopefully will lower prices. ”

“ There are other effective ways, the President believes, to help people who suffer illnesses so they can be relieved of the pain and the symptoms that they're going through. There are other ingredients that can be delivered outside of a marijuana cigarette, for example, to help people who need help, who suffer. Q What about the budget disparity? You're spending five times as much on interdiction as you are on treatment. ”

“ The President has always said that Africa is an important focus of our foreign policy. And that's evidenced in the meetings that he's going to hold tomorrow. Q What kind of priority, when it comes to fighting AIDS in Africa is this administration planning to -- MR. FLEISCHER: I'd say it's a terribly important priority. AIDS is ravaging Africa and it's a problem that the United States and this President are terribly concerned about. ”

“ From his own personal experience, he will tell you that one of the ways he was able to stop drinking overnight was because of the power of faith. He does believe that that can be a very helpful and constructive way to help people who are going through internal issues that require strong discipline and strong faith. ”

“ The President has also said that we have energy problems that were long in the making in this country. The President has said that taxes need to be addressed in this country. The President has said education needs to be improved. ”

“ Q Ari, on the statistics involving teenagers, while the drug abuse hurts and results in death of a certain number of teenagers, alcohol kills a lot more teenagers every year. Traditionally, the Drug Czar's Office has been reluctant to get involved in any kind of an anti-alcohol campaign. ”