Talk:Drug czar

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{{Old AfD multi| date = 16 June 2009 (UTC) | result = keep | page = Drug Czar }}

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I would like to see references, especially first reference. Who came up with this term? Where did it first appear? I guess I will try to track it down if no one here knows. Kps2420 (talk) 23:26, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

:I found a reliable source and have added info on the origin of the term. john factorial (talk) 21:47, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

This is one of those difficult-to-source (in Wikipedia terms, where you need a source about the meaning of the term, not just about the term) etymologies. I see news articles today are claiming it was coined by Joe Biden, but this is clearly wrong. Even the cited source (original claim by ONDCP) is wrong, as there are a smattering of appearances in Google News Archive and Google Books earlier than 1982. The etymology, for anyone caring to follow up, is an older use of the word "czar" for someone delegated in a government to oversee something broad that may subsume the activities of several offices. --Dhartung | Talk 06:40, 29 March 2009 (UTC)

:The term was first used in 1971 when the Jerome Jafee was appointed. here is a Salon.com reference [http://archive.salon.com/health/feature/2000/08/30/czar/index2.html] from 2000. There are at least two contemporaneous references in the New York Times:

:::"'You are going to be a czar, directing a national campaign against drug abuse,' Representative Paul G. Rogers told (Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe)-- Dana Adams Schmidt. "New Drug Abuse Chief Is Told He Doesn't Have Enough Power", New York Times, June 28, 1971.

:::"last August, in an interview in "Psychology Today," Dr. Jerome Jaffe, the Director of the White House drug abuse office from June 1971 to June 1973, said that 'nobody came home from Vietnam actively addicted' after he became the Federal drug czar" M. A. Farber, "Veterans Still Fight Vietnam Drug Habits", New York Times, June 2, 1974.

:In the early 1980's, Joe Biden, among others, wanted Reagan to establish a separate cabinet level drug control office. Reagan vetoed the bill because he wanted to run drug control out of the Justice Dept, and the office wasn't established till Bush Sr. became president.

W E Hill (talk) 22:50, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

= List of Drug Czars =

As an underground legend here in Seattle, I find it comforting to know that our Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske who allowed the wonderfully peaceful free Hempfest was selected to be the current Drug Czar. A list of former Drug Czars would be in order here. (An entry for Drug Czar should not be deleted.) -- SkewsMe.com —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.113.161.7 (talk) 00:17, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Former chief of police in Seattle Washington, Gil Kerlikowske, became well known for his response to 8 petitions opened on the White House's "We the People" petition feature. The petitions ranged from pleas for states rights regarding medical marijuana to one with over 75000 signatures that asked for complete legalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana. Gil declared that the United States has no plans to legalize cannabis at this time. The response to the We the People petition was posted to the White House website late in the afternoon on Friday October 28th, after the end of the news-week. The timing may have been planned specifically to avoid bad press resulting from the noise raised by the over 75000 who signed any one of the eight petitions responded to. These eight petitions (grouped together for the response) were among 10 that received responses in the same week, the first week that responses were given to petitioners. The response to the legalization of marijuana offered the least compromise to the signers of any of the petitions responded to.

:I agree the page shouldn't be deleted. There is plenty of info out there that can be added to it. Because the early drug czars worked under different titles and headed offices other than the ONDCP, a redirect there might not be all that helpful or appropriate.

W E Hill (talk) 22:50, 7 September 2009 (UTC)