Federal drug czar makes stop in Las Vegas

The federal drug czar visited Las Vegas on Wednesday in an effort to raise awareness about drugged driving.

Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, joined local officials for a news conference at the Nevada Highway Patrol’s Southern Command, 4615 W. Sunset Road.

While the number of people driving under the influence of alcohol has declined in the last 30 years, Kerlikowske said, the number of people driving under the influence of drugs, both illegal and prescription, has gone up.

“Over the years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of drugged drivers on our roads and highways commensurate with the substance abuse problems we have in our communities, including not only illicit drugs but prescription narcotics,” said Nevada Department of Public Safety Director Jerry Hafen.

A Sun analysis of prescription narcotic consumption across the country between 1997 and 2006 revealed that Nevadans consume about twice the national average per capita of prescription narcotics.

According to a recent study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 16 percent of drivers on weekend nights tested positive for drugs.


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