dependents as we would like to see them have. >> why are these drugs so addictive? >> it is synthetic heroin in a way. they can be as absolutely addictive as people who use or inject heroin. the other part is people do not recognize that because it is a prescription that it may not only be addictive, but it can be deadly. >> you mentioned one of the state's i cover -- kentucky and the appalachian region. how did we get to the point where prescription drug overdoses or rival crack and heroin overdoses of the '70s and '80s, and why is it acute in regions like appellation in kentucky and florida and california as well? >> because it is a stealth drug problem.

crack cocaine was on the front pages month after month, day after day, and we have seen pockets where heroin overdoses would get a lot of attention. these are prescription drugs, not manufactured in the back of some apartment. they are not sold in a piece of tinfoil or piece of plastic. people cannot recognize the level of dangerousness. we have seen very wealthy individuals, older individuals, young people who get their first initiation from drug use from the medicine cabinet. this cuts across every demographic. one of the questions that has is the overdose rate. the overdose to prescription drugs. do you see that related to

efforts of the border to curb abuses of drugs or drugs not sold on the street, perceived as safer? >> when we look at what is driving this large number of overdose deaths, it is essentially prescription drugs have become much more readily available. people keep them in their medicine cabinets when we want people to dispose of them in an environmentally safe way. there are people who abuse their privileges and abuse the lot in over prescribing people using them for abuse purposes. it is clear that the border has done a better job, but i still go back to young people who recognize the dangers of heroin

and recognize the dangers of injecting heroin. prescription drugs just do not have the big skull and crossbones symbol on them. >> we covered event earlier this month where you unveiled a policy of the administration. do parents understand what their kids are taking? are there signs parents should be on the lookout for? was she aware of the severity of the drugs her son was taking in college? >> i think that case is not unique. lots of young people go off to college and if you have talked to mary bono, she talks about her son having gone off to college and what happened with prescription drugs. among all lot of young people, they go into the college life of an drugs through a prescription

or through a friend. it is easy to move into these other things, but some of the warning signs can be not attending class, bad grades, a change in personality, a change in physical appearance like weight loss and parents need to be able to ask those questions. do you see it as an unintended consequence that folks are switching to pharmaceuticals? we see a rash of heroin deaths where they save my kids started with prescription products and moved on and that resulted in almost instantaneous death? how you collect -- how do you connect that parallels? >> the prescription drug problem started at around 2002. it has only been the last few

years that that very significant increase in border protection has occurred. because some much initiation of drug use came through the medicine cabinet, it can become more difficult because of prescription drug monitoring plans and the costs -- boxy continent can be a dollars per pill and heroin can be $5 or $6 for a small amount of heroin. >> i would like to follow up on something you said about drug problems starting in the medicine cabinet. there's a growing trend in parts of the country where people would need a prescription to get cold medicine that contain some ephedrine. i wonder what you think of that approach to the problem? >> this was the approach used by

oregon to deal with methamphetamine. a precursor to some of the cold medicines is to be able to make methamphetamine. they decided to make it prescription only. since that time, the methamphetamine program has decrease in oregon. it was a little over one year ago that the governor in mississippi signed a similar law. the first six months of data show strong decreases in the methamphetamine problem, so it seems to be something other states are examining closely. >> the second drug strategy, we still have not seen it. what has been that the delay and what can we expect when it does arrive? >> every president, their first drug strategy is their most important piece. when president obama released

his in last year, it was a couple of months late. one of the reasons for that was his direction to me was i want the voices of the american people in this strategy. rather than sitting inside the beltway and writing this up, we actually toward the country listening to people. the second strategy builds upon the first strategy, and you will see increased emphasis in the area of college students and increased interest from military veterans and active duty. within the next couple of weeks, that strategy should be out. >> are there federal dollars behind this? which states are doing the most and which are doing the least? where are the big areas of concern for you? >> there is a pot of money

called the how rogers prescription drug monitoring program. this will help medical boards identify doctors who may be over prescribing or patients who might be doctor shopping and there is money to get that started. in my travels around the country, a number of states have taken the lead in this. kentucky has one of the best electronic databases. we are also quite hopeful that electronic health records will help to improve as -- improve patient safety. >> will you have the money you need? >> of believe there is strong support because the entire plan that was released is not asking for and fusion of new money. it is about what government is

supposed to do -- work together, work smart and figure out how to solve the problem without just throwing money at. >> other states have these programs and there have been concerns like in florida, privacy issues were cited and law-enforcement officers in various states have worried that if different states have various ways of collecting information and do not share the data, the programs may not be as effective. >> i think that is absolutely legitimate question. thesehe state's right laws, they can provide all of the levels of patient confidentiality and privacy they want. the second part is that states be able to have an exchange of

information so if we have a problem -- this was evident in kentucky -- kentucky and ohio just signed an agreement to share information. i do not get the sense there's a mood for a national database when it comes to prescription drugs. i think the practice of medicine is controlled at the state level, not by the federal government and the state's, given guidance and best practices are in the best position to make this work. >> what is the role of pharmacists and doctors in all of this? >> there is a significant role. pharmacists can be very attuned to these problems, to make sure they're checking prescriptions -- forged prescriptions can be a significant problem. >> you say a record amount -- it seems they are on the front

lines. >> the pharmacists are very attuned to this and have been incredibly helpful. physicians are dealing with a large amount of information they need to treat, understand and diagnose a host of issues. physicians often times do not get all of the information they need to understand pain management or addiction. that is why part of this prescription drug plan is to work with congress to have mandatory prescribe for education. we look forward to working with congress on getting that legislation. >> there were reports this week you are being considered for the top job in chicago. can you talk about what your future may be with the white house?

>> this is a great opportunity to be asked by the president to lead our nation's drug policy. my whole career, 37 years, is in policing. i do not know what will happen. i know the chicago police board is looking for a new superintendent. that is about as much as i can tell you. >> are you interested in the job? >> i would not have applied if i did not have an interest. >> prescription drug abuse has been a problem for years. the philadelphia region, toxic content became a significant problem with one doctor charged running a pill mill. we saw the problem expand. why has it taken 11 years for the federal government to come around and pushed for these

registries and track these drugs? >> i think the pilled mills are unique. they have been somewhat under the radar. for lauderdale has been the focus, but we have seen these and they are essentially nothing more than places where doctors write an ordinance amount of prescriptions. when i met with women in custody for prescription drug problems, they often talked about going into these mills. from a law enforcement standpoint, they're very labor- intensive because they are physicians. if you go in with a broken arm, it is clear what a diagnosis is. if you sam in pain, it is much more vague. these are tough cases to make but i applaud the d a and the

sheriff's office for the work they did in cracking down. >> going back to kentucky, one of the programs congressman rogers has placed is operation unite which works to educate the public, works on law- enforcement. i wonder to what extent the administration looked at that model was other states being able to follow. >> sitting with the congressman, listening to people and meeting in young people, many of whom had given up sports activities to be there that evening, was really quite moving. we fund about 740 drug free communities.

in working with them, these small grants bring together a grass-roots communities like law enforcement, the faith based, to work on preventing drug use. the answers to the drug problem, they do not come from inside the beltway. they come from grass-roots organizations, people who are dedicated and committed. it is our responsibility to give them the information they need to do a better job. >> about a million people -- a million pills in brouwer county per month -- are the pharmaceutical companies working with you where the drugs are going from the distributor to the patient? >> information must be provided

about the production of these drugs and where they go. that can often lead to information about where there could be abuse of the system more actual criminal activity. i think that is an important issue. when people discuss whether there should be a reduction in the quota -- one thing we do not want to see is people in severe or chronic pain, these drugs are often life savers. and i think that is what the doctor mentioned at the press conference, it is very important we not react so stridently that the pills needed for people in chronic pain are removed or inaccessible. this is a complex problem and a balancing act. are we -- >> are we providing prescription

drugs for children at an age where they may not be adaptable? >> i know, especially for these very powerful painkillers, it is much more about getting it from a friend or relative than through a prescription, with the exception of dental work. dentists were the number one prescribe versa of painkillers and art no longer the number one prescribed because even though there is pain with wisdom teeth, there are medications which are far less dangerous than what has been prescribed. >> the president authorized 1200 national guard troops to be on the border for one year. that ends early this summer. many legislators and governors say we want an increased presence for multiple years. where do you see the future of

putting troops on the border to stop what is described as an onslaught coming across the border? >> we see increases in seizures across the border -- some would say that's because additional drugs are attending to come across. i would say the border has been strengthened. we have seen an infusion of federal agencies plus technology. i think it makes sense we will make more seizures along the border. when it comes to the national guard and troop deployment issues, those issues rest in the hands of the president, the secretary of defense and the secretary of homeland's security. >> what kind of response have you gotten from the pharmaceutical industry? >> the pharmaceutical industry has been supportive of where we are headed and what we want to

do. they want to see these prescription drugs used and prescribed appropriately. they do not want to continue to see this level of abuse and the deaths being caused as a result. i have been pleased that they have been supportive and we will do a better job. as a police chief, cynicism comes with my profession but i am optimistic we're going to make a dent in the prescription drug problem because of all of these efforts together. >> is there consistency among the 50 states in how they are dealing with this? >> there is not. that is for a couple of reasons. some states move more quickly. it has taken a number of years to get a bill passed in georgia on these drug monitoring plans.

they just recently passed that law and to other states came on line. gov. o'malley will be signing legislation very soon and the state of arkansas also. i would tell you the states are moving in the right direction. some are moving more robustly than others. >> synthetic drugs have recently come into the news whether it is a chemicals that mimic the effects of heroin, cocaine and the like -- how significant a problem is that? for every chemical we find, we have to test it and the term in its origin and affects. that seems to be a significant problem in how quickly the government can respond. >> the d a just recently used

their powers to go against the synthetic drugs causing that problem. the states can move more quickly and have more flexibility than the federal government. whether it was synthetic marijuana or bath salts, we have seen the state's move effectively and quickly to ban those substances. >> i want to go back to kentucky and then go to georgia. is there anything kentucky should be doing more of to curb this problem and to what extent could what they are doing service a model for states like georgia which recently passed legislation? >> i've been very impressed with the community's spirit, particularly in the poor, rural

areas. there is not a lot of reporting but when it comes to the national news, in the local newspaper, i saw a front-page of a local paper and every single story but one involved drugs. a car crash where the mother was alleged to be under the influence of drugs -- a mass laboratory -- these kinds of things affect people across the country. they want their kids to be drug- free and highly educated and do well in school. they don't want their families impacted. there is a spirit of community. it's not just about law enforcement or having a good prescription drug monitoring plan, which kentucky has. it is about the leadership in that state. i have been impressed with what i have seen in kentucky and i

hope they can be helpful to the new governor and in getting their law moving forward. >> is this problem unique to america? do we see it in canada or other western countries? >> is not unique to america. countries and governments in which prescription drugs and pills are more widely available are also experiencing similar problems. i do not think anyone is experiencing it to the degree the united states is. we are also the only nation in the world that has direct to consumer marketing of pills. >> are there lessons that we can apply here the jesse elsewhere? >> i think we are working with prevention programs that could keep young people away from drugs, regardless of whether it is a prescription drugs -- they

all have efficacy. >> the larger conundrum has been how to curb the appetite coupled with how do you stop the flow of drugs. how do you combine that with the enforcement efforts where one of the largest criticisms has been on enforcement only, forget the consumption. you have said consumption is the problem we should be tackling in greater degree. how do we do that? >> the first interview i did, i tried to end the rhetoric about the war on drugs. it does not make sense. it is a public health and educational problem. one of the things i have been most heartened about, especially when we're dealing with mexico and other governments is to say we need to reduce our own demand for drugs with in this country

and we need to recognize we have a shared responsibility. what is not always recognize is that other countries also have their own problems when it comes to addiction. we used to think of a country that would only produce drugs or transit drugs. we never thought of them as a consumer. mexico is also a consumer nation as are some of the poorest countries in west africa. from a worldwide perspective, we are all in this issue together and we need to be smart about it and we cannot just use law enforcement and criminal justice as an answer because it is not the best answer. >> thank you very much for joining us on "newsmakers." we continue with our reporters.

let me begin by asking about the border issue. did you learn anything new about what the u.s. is trying to do about that? >> the flow of drugs is there and continues to be there. in recent years, the rise of drug seizures as opposed to the drop in apprehensions of people crossing the border -- people will tell you different reasons, but it is interesting that the director, who is not the -- he says it is not just a law- enforcement problem, it is a criticism that the focus has been on law enforcement as opposed to curbing the consumption. he has explained that before, specifically to the associated press, that the war on drugs is not just about law enforcement. it is a rising problem in mexico. some would attribute that to

fewer drugs getting across and no one at this stage has been able to tell whether the flow is down -- >> when may solve the problem in one area, does it pop up in another area? >> that is the thought -- you squeeze the balloon in one spot and moves to another. as we have the flow of people, you stop at -- so on and so forth so it is to a degree a matter of shifting your focus. to the extent of the drug flow, it is unclear because you never know what you are missing. we know where the drug hubs are , and they go out in the spoke

and we'll system, but i suppose if they knew where it was coming through, they would stop it. >> we saw earlier this month, the story about the rise of prescription drugs in communities in ohio that have been particularly devastated by the economy. >> i thought it was interesting how he underscored the in seriousness of the problem. kentucky has been dealing with this issue for a decade, but as much as there is a problem with drug flow over the border, it is happening in states across the border as well. states on the pipeline have been affected and to the extent kentucky has been able to pass legislation and put in place monitoring programs, the states surrounding kentucky to the north and east have not put

those measures in place have had that same kind of overflow. >> with the white house announcing this effort with regard to drug control policy, how will we be able to measure whether or not it is working? >> that is an open-ended question. prescription drug abuse has been a problem since early 2000's. we sought with the opposite continent asian -- boxy condom -- oxycontin invasion. >> one particularly tight of prescription drug is addressed but there's always something else on the horizon. that is tricky for people