NCJ Number
198878
Date Published
April 2003
Length
63 pages
Annotation
This publication presents the national drug control policy, with an emphasis on three main national priorities.
Abstract
In the introduction, data from the University of Michigan’s most recent Monitoring the Future survey is presented. The data confirms that drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders is on the decline. The second section of the report details the national priorities for drug control. These include stopping drug use before it starts, healing current drug users, and disrupting the drug market. In the section on stopping drug use before it begins, drug prevention programs are thought to be key to leading youth away from drug use before they try drugs in the first place. According to the report, prevention campaigns such as Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign, have been successful in preventing drug use among the Nation’s population, particularly among the youth. A section on marijuana deals specifically with the debate over whether marijuana breeds dependency. In describing the second National priority, healing America’s drug users, drug addiction is described as a public health problem that should be addressed through a public health model. It is estimated that as many as 101,000 people who seek treatment for drug addiction each year are not able to receive it. To address this gap in services, $600 million has been earmarked for treatment services over the next 3 years. The last national priority, disrupting the drug market, discusses stopping the flow of drugs both at home and abroad. It is explained that simply focusing on the American drug trade is short-sighted. Efforts to disrupt the drug markets in other countries is equally important since illicit drugs are smuggled into the United States in mass quantities. This report focuses especially on the influx of cocaine from other countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. The appendix offers the Federal drug control funding for fiscal year 2002 through 2004.