U.S. Drug Strategy Relies on Enforcement and Prevention

By Charlene Porter
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The U.S. Department of State is preparing for the March 1 announcement of the annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, which assesses how drug-producing nations receiving U.S. foreign assistance have "met the goals and objectives of the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances," according to the text of the U.S. law requiring the annual report.

Nations found lacking in their drug control efforts can be subject to withdrawal of U.S. aid as a result of the drug certification process, as it has become known.

Some foreign governments and U.S. critics have questioned the process since the 1986 passage of the law. They have protested the assessment that the process requires, and called resulting reductions in aid counter-productive. Further, critics of the drug certification process charge that the United States is attempting to address its drug abuse problems by forcing other countries to reduce the supply of illicit drugs rather than attacking domestic demand for narcotics. The United States does provide assistance for overseas supply reduction, but three of every four dollars of the entire U.S. government anti-drug budget is devoted to domestic demand reduction, which includes a range of activities in both law enforcement and substance abuse prevention.

Programs to prevent drug abuse and treat the addicted are high-priority goals in the National Drug Control Strategy. In the 2001 report on implementation of that strategy presented to Congress, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) states as its first goal to "educate and enable America's youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco."

The report continues, "Preventing drug abuse in the first place is preferable to addressing the problem later through treatment and law enforcement."

The commitment to prevention programs was also evident in the 2002 federal budget message that President George W. Bush delivered to the Congress February 27. He is urging the Congress to approve increased funding for a variety of different programs aimed at preventing substance abuse through intervention, education and treatment.

In the total U.S. drug control budget of $19,000 million, Bush is seeking enhanced funding for a variety of prevention programs, including a $10 million increase for the Drug-Free Communities Program, a $111 million increase for drug treatment programs, and a $105 million increase for research into the causes of drug abuse.

These latest proposals maintain a trend of increased funding and emphasis on prevention. According to the ONDCP, funding for prevention programs increased 52 percent from 1996 to 2001.

The latest available statistics on drug abuse provide evidence that these prevention efforts are working. The statistics show that 6.7 percent of Americans 12 and older -- a total of 14.8 million Americans -- were current users of illicit drugs in 1999. This figure is significantly lower than the rate of drug use in 1979 when 14.1 percent of the population were current users.

A current user is defined in this research as a person who has used an illicit drug within 30 days of the survey.

The usage surveys show even more dramatic drug use decreases in particular categories. The number of cocaine users, for instance, is down 74 percent from 1985 to 1999.

Further analysis of the complex surveys on drug abuse does reveal some negative trends in drug use, however. Among both teenagers and young adults, drug use has increased since the early 1990s.

In the 2001 report to Congress, ONDCP details its ambitions for prevention in the future -- to slash current drug use by half over the next several years.

"Through a balanced array of demand-reduction and supply-reduction actions, we strive to reduce drug use and availability by half and the consequences of drug abuse by at least 25 percent by 2007," the report says. Achievement of that goal would bring the documented rate of U.S. drug abuse to its lowest rate in history, the report adds.

The drug prevention effort is widely dispersed throughout the society and multi-dimensional in the approaches used to discourage substance abuse. Prevention programs are also driven by recognition that substance abuse can have deep-seated causes arising from an individual's genetic make-up, environmental influences and life experiences.

Some programs overseen by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) focus on the central role that parents play in determining whether a child will be vulnerable to the negative peer pressure that can lead to substance abuse. These programs focus on decreasing family conflict, improving family bonding and parenting skills.

ONDCP has also backed an intensive anti-drug media campaign very carefully targeted to reach vulnerable youth. Based on the success of previous U.S. media campaigns that have successfully influenced behaviors such as wearing seat belts, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has been developed with experts in behavioral science, medicine and teen marketing.

The campaign aims to stop drug use before it starts. Launched nationally in mid-1999, a February 2001 report on the campaign's progress says drug use surveys indicate "that the campaign may be having the desired impact." However, the report says further that definitive conclusions about this youth-targeted media message must wait for an independent evaluation to be completed.

The media campaign complements a variety of anti-drug programs that are conducted in the schools. Other prevention efforts focus on community institutions such as churches and workplaces in order to convey the message to other age groups.

Drug abuse prevention is also gaining new support in the U.S. Congress this session. In a February 13 statement delivered to introduce new legislation in this area, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah said, "The time has come to increase the resources we devote to prevent people from using drugs in the first place and to breaking the cycle of addiction for those whose lives are devastated and consumed by these substances. Only through such a balanced approach can we remove the scourge of drugs from our society."

Hatch's proposed Drug Education, Prevention and Treatment Act has bipartisan support and would authorize new resources for a variety of school and community-based drug prevention programs directed toward at-risk youth.

A Democratic co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said the legislation "provides a comprehensive approach ... that will assist all of our states in their efforts to address the drug problems that most affect our communities."