NCJ Number
235144
Date Published
July 2011
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This issue features an announcement of the Obama administration's release of its 2011 National Drug Control Strategy and an excerpt from the executive summary of the Strategy, along with an overview of the Strategy's focus on providing substance abuse services to the segments of the population hardest hit by substance abuse.
Abstract
On July 11, 2011 the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy released the Obama Administration's National Drug Control Strategy. This is the Federal Government's blueprint for addressing the Nation's drug problem. The 2011 Strategy reflects the Administration's recognition that drug use is a major public health and safety threat, and that drug addiction is a preventable, treatable disease. The excerpt from the report's executive summary indicates that the goals of the Strategy are to reduce both drug use and drug-related consequences. The Strategy's goals for the next 5 years are to cut drug use among youth by 15 percent, drug-induced death and drug-related morbidity by 15 percent, and drugged driving by 10 percent. The executive-summary excerpt lists the seven core areas that will be emphasized in achieving the aforementioned goals. This issue also provides an overview of the Strategy's response to populations with unique challenges and needs related to substance abuse. These populations are active-duty military and veterans, women and their families, college and university students, and those in the criminal justice system. The remaining articles in this issue describe some of the ways the Federal Government and private citizens are responding to the needs of these populations.