Visiting New Orleans for the first time as President Barack Obama's drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske said Tuesday that he was encouraged by the energy that local authorities and community groups are putting into attacking the crime-riddled city's widespread drug problems.

But he conceded the obvious: There's a long way to go.

And he joined U.S. Attorney Jim Letten and New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley in calling for an increased national focus on treatment and prevention, rather than simply prosecuting and imprisoning offenders.

"I know there is a drug nexus to a lot of crimes in the New Orleans area, " Kerlikowske said during a morning appearance at Covenant House, which, among other services, works with drug-addicted teenagers and young adults. "We have to look at the drug problem as not just a public safety problem. . . It's also a public health problem."

Kerlikowske, whose title is director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, also said he wants to see the cultural stigma attached to drug addiction change, not to make the problem acceptable, but to make it easier for addicts to seek treatment and return to a healthy, productive lifestyle.

"I think the label is starting to change, " he said.

The former Seattle police chief told a roundtable of local leaders that he understands the effort also takes money. "You can have a great strategy, but if you don't put the resources behind it, it's just another piece of paper, " he said, later highlighting the 2010 federal budget's investment in drug courts and other community programs.

Kerlikowske's office is responsible for developing the president's national drug control policy, which is issued annually.

Letten said he emerged from a series of meetings impressed with the Obama administration's commitment to a comprehensive approach. A Republican who is awaiting word on whether he will be reappointed, Letten moderated a mostly closed session in which Kerlikowske heard from Orleans and Jefferson Parish law enforcement executives, local FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration authorities, state prosecutors, health care providers and representatives of several community groups, including a recovered addict who has served several jail stints. Afterschool New Orleans organized the session.

State Rep. Jared Brossett, D-New Orleans, said the sentiment around the table was consistent, even if some approaches were different. The bottom line: While the federal government works to stem the tide of drug trafficking across American borders, the New Orleans region must build a more reliable public education system and more robust economy to offer the children here a better life.

Letten defended the importance of tough law enforcement and sentencing of violent drug offenders. But he said jail time should involve actual treatment programs, while better educational and economic opportunities provide a preventive fix for children who have yet to embrace that life. Those strategies, he said, "aren't mutually exclusive."

Among the specific policy recommendations from the group, Dr. Kennison Roy, an addiction recovery specialist, said insurance regulations should be retooled to require that policies -- including Medicaid -- cover treatment programs, beyond just inpatient detoxification.

At Covenant House earlier in the day, Kerlikowske heard from a group of young people who carried no government or organizational titles. Speaking of their life experiences as native New Orleanians, they echoed many of the same concerns as the elected officials and self-appointed advocates.

Among their questions and comments: "Why can't you stop the drugs from coming into this country?" "Kids need more after-school programs and help. When they don't have anything to do, they get in trouble." "We need more jobs, more opportunities that can offer as a better option than selling crack."

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Bill Barrow can be reached at bbarrow@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3452