NCJ Number
160564
Date Published
1994
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This annual report for the July 1993 to June 1994 period covers activities of the Maryland Governor's Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission, the State's substance abuse policy and coordinating body and the agency charged with administering the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Formula Grant Program.
Abstract
An annual plan produced by the Commission outlines the nature and extent of the drug and alcohol abuse problem in Maryland and effective strategies to impact the problem, and funding from the Formula Grant Program is used to support these strategies. Three major developments in drug trafficking patterns occurred in Maryland during fiscal year 1993-1994: (1) trends of declining drug and alcohol abuse were reversed; (2) young people considered drugs to be less harmful and more acceptable; and (3) a large number of smaller, loosely organized groups of drug traffickers rendered traditional law enforcement methods ineffective in controlling drug distribution. Strategies advocated by the Commission focus on bringing law enforcement together with other criminal justice agencies and prevention, treatment, and education services; devoting more resources to the problems of underage drinking and drug-impaired drivers; making police operations more efficient by improving and expanding the use of management and criminal intelligence information systems; providing law enforcement and prosecutors with resources to innovatively disrupt drug trafficking and immobilize criminals; and furnishing judicial officers with the kind and quality of information needed to make appropriate pretrial release and sentencing decisions. The Commission promotes interagency cooperation and develops partnerships that result in efficient and innovative ways to reduce drug and alcohol abuse and heightened public awareness of the many issues involved in substance abuse, and the Commission is also concerned with violence prevention. Programs implemented with funding from the Formula Grant Program are summarized and evaluated, and significant accomplishments are noted. Funding data on 1993-1994 grant awards are tabulated in appendix. 4 tables