Mr. Jurith has served as General Counsel of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) since 1994. He was appointed to serve as the Acting Director of ONDCP by President Obama on January 20, 2009. Mr. Jurith previously served as Acting Director under an appointment by President Clinton on January 10, 2001, and served in that position until December 7, 2001.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss… literally. Among many accomplishments in his bio, this one jumped out at me:
While on the staff of the Select Committee [on Narcotics Abuse and Control] he was instrumental in the development of the Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988. These laws provide the statutory framework for the current U.S. national drug control policy.
via EDWARD H. JURITH, Acting Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Those would be the same Anti-Drug Abuse Acts that created mandatory minimum sentencing and were championed by Vice President Biden at the time.
Since the appointment is for “acting” director, it suggests President Obama still has someone permanent in mind to be named later. Maybe he is stalling to find just the right person to continue something that 70% of the people feel is a failed policy and that he himself once called “an utter failure”.
