President Barack Obama named Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske as the new director of the National Policy on Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), which promotes alternative proposals for the war on drugs, was "cautiously optimistic" about Kerlikowske selection.

The DPA said that the city of Seattle has been at the forefront of the fight against drugs, with policies such as the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes for over a decade and its needle exchange program.

Kerlikowske has also directed the police in the cities of Buffalo in New York, and Pierce and Capacity Building St. Lucie, Fla., and worked in the Department of Justice in the presidency of William Clinton.

Source The Seattle Times