Some said his plan to fight the city's drug crisis was brazen Federal intervention in city business.

"I happen to believe that the drug crisis is the No. 1 problem in America," he said.

His plan will fight every aspect of the drug crisis - from supply to demand, to treatment and education.

Now a wide cross section of the public believes the nation is in the midst of a drug crisis.

"If there's anywhere we don't need that kind of approach, it's in the area of the drug crisis," he said.

This is not to suggest that city officials abandon their attempts to cope with the drug crisis.

He had a kind of personal drug crisis up there in Newport.

The fingerpointing has begun, with Federal and city officials blaming each other for the drug crisis in the nation's capital.

The escalating drug crisis is beginning to take its toll on many Americans.

To the extent that there's a drug crisis among youths, it's excessive drinking.