For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 12, 2002
The President's National Drug Control Strategy
Today's Presidential Action:
President Bush will unveil his new National Drug Control Strategy,
which sets clear and specific national goals for reducing drug use in
America to save thousands of young lives. The President's
National Drug Control Strategy is based on three core principles:
- Stopping drug use before it starts
- Healing America's drug users
- Disrupting the market
The President's National Drug Control Strategy seeks to reduce use
of illegal drugs by 10 percent over 2 years, and 25 percent over 5
years. These goals apply both to drug use among young Americans (12-17
age group) and among adults.
Background on the National Drug Control Strategy:
Drug use among young people has stabilized but still remains close
to all-time highs. One out of every two teenagers has tried
an illegal drug by twelfth grade, according to the University of
Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey. Twenty-six percent
of eighth graders reported having tried illegal
drugs. Unfortunately, too many Americans who are dependent
on drugs are not receiving the treatment they need.
While some have argued that the national will to fight against
substance abuse has eroded, President Bush believes the time has come
to re-energize the national movement against illegal
drugs. The President's National Drug Control Strategy argues
we can make up lost ground in the fight against drugs by applying the
lessons of our recent history -- emphasizing a balance between supply
and demand reduction efforts.
The President's National Drug Control Strategy is based on three
core principles:
- Stopping drug use before it starts
- Healing America's drug users
- Disrupting the market
Stopping Drug Use Before It
Starts: Every American can play an important role in the
fight against illegal drugs through education and community action. In
homes, schools, places of worship, the workplace, and civic and social
organizations, Americans must set norms that reaffirm the values of
responsibility and good citizenship while dismissing the notion that
drug use is consistent with individual freedom. The National
Drug Control Strategy ties national leadership with community-level
action to help recreate the formula that helped America succeed against
drugs in the past. The President's budget backs up this goal
with a $10 million increase in funding for the expanded Drug-Free
Communities Support Program, along with providing $ 5 million for a new
Parents Drug Corps.
Healing America's Drug
Users: The vast majority of the millions of people who need
drug treatment are in denial about their addiction. Getting people
into treatment -- including programs that call upon the power of
faith -- will require us to create a new climate of "compassionate
coercion," which begins with family, friends, employers, and the
community. Compassionate coercion also uses the criminal justice
system to get people into treatment. Americans must begin to
confront drug use -- and therefore drug users -- honestly and directly. We
must encourage those in need to enter and remain in drug
treatment. The President's National Drug Control Strategy
envisions making drug treatment available to many more Americans who
need it.
Overall, for 2003, the Administration
proposes $3.8 billion for drug treatment, an increase of more than 6
percent over 2002. This includes a $100 million increase in
treatment spending for 2003 as part of a plan to add $1.6 billion over
five years. Getting treatment resources where they are
needed requires us to target that spending. This budget asks
that $50 million of new treatment funding be targeted to areas with
greatest need.
Disrupting the Market: The demand for
drugs tends to vary with their price and
availability. Disrupting this market relationship provides
policymakers with a clear lever to reduce use. Domestically, attacking
the economic basis of the drug trade involves the cooperative, combined
efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement.
To help secure our borders, the
President's budget includes $2.3 billion for drug interdiction, an
increase of over 10 percent from 2002.
Internationally, the Bush Administration
will continue to target the supply of illegal drugs in the source
countries. The Administration is requesting $731 million in dedicated
funds in 2003 for the Andean Counterdrug Initiative to be applied in
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
President Bush's Drug Budget -- Setting Clear Goals and Implementing
Needed Reforms
The National Drug Control Strategy
concedes that management of our drug fighting institutions has not been
as effective as it could be, and proposes a new way of presenting and
managing the drug control budget. The budget has partly been
based on imperfect estimation techniques that gauge the portion of a
program related to drug control. Under the new approach, all drug
programs will tie directly to actual line items in agency budgets --
establishing clearer lines of authority and accountability for
results.
Overall, the President's 2003 Budget
includes $19.2 billion for drug control.
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