Edward Jurith (September 11, 1951 – November 9, 2013) served as Acting Director of the

Office of National Drug Control Policy The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is a component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The Director of the ONDCP, colloquially known as the Drug Czar, heads the office. "Drug Czar" was a term first used ...

from January 10, 2001 to December 7, 2001."Lawyer's Addiction:Work. Acting Drug Policy Chief pushes rehab over imprisionment. ''New York Daily News'', Monday, February 12th 2001
link
/ref> He was appointed for this term by President Clinton in 2001, and was then appointed to be the Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy again in 2009 by President Obama. Since 1994, he also served as ONDCP's General Counsel, Senior Counsel and Director of Legislative Affairs.

Background

Jurith was born in Brooklyn. He attended Bishop Loughlin High School in New York City, and graduated with honors from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

in 1973, and then received a law degree from

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

in 1976. He joined Lyon & Erlbaum in Kew Gardens as an appellate trial attorney.

Career in government

His first government post was counsel for Congressman Leo Zeferreti, chairman of the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, in 1982. According to the Daily News, "Studies his office initiated on narcotics enforcement, such as bail reform and mandatory sentencing, resulted in reams of legislation, including the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, one of the bedrocks of our national drug policy." He was named staff director of that agency in 1987, joining the drug control policy office as director of legislative affairs in 1993. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''in 1993 called him "a widely respected drug expert." He was instrumental in developing the Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988. He subsequently became General Counsel to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.Washington Post
/ref>

Teaching

In 2010, he became an adjunct professor at the American University Washington College of Law. He taught a seminar about the intersection of law and drug policy. From the first year that he taught to the second, his enrollment increased from seven students to capacity with a waiting list.

Family

He died of cancer in his home in North-West Washington on November 9, 2013. Mr. Jurith is survived by his wife, Kathleen Healy, and his sons Theodore and William.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jurith, Edward 1951 births 2013 deaths Directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy American University alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni George W. Bush administration cabinet members