Text: Clinton on 2000 National Drug Control Strategy Report

(Says drug use, crime and cultivation are all down)(750)

In a congressionally mandated annual report on the U.S. battle against
drugs, President Clinton said the country has made significant
progress in bringing down drug use. But he said, "We cannot rest on
our success. Drugs continue to exact a tremendous toll on this country
and internationally."

The president outlined five initiatives his administration will pursue
in the ongoing anti-drug effort. The White House Office Of National
Drug Control Policy presented the report to Congress March 23.

The report can be viewed in its entirety at
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/policy/ndcs.html

Following is the text of the president's statement: 

(begin text)

The President's Message 

NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY: 2000 ANNUAL REPORT

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: 

On behalf of the American people, I am pleased to submit to Congress
the 2000 Annual Report of the National Drug Control Strategy. This
report documents our progress, details our plans for the future, and
summarizes our implementation of the Nation's 10-year counter-drug
strategy.

I am grateful to the Congress for the bipartisan partnership we have
forged on this difficult and important issue. Common commitment has
been vital to our success, and we can all be proud of our achievements
at home and abroad. The 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
found that youth drug use declined 13 percent between 1997 and 1998.
The 1999 Partnership Attitude Tracking Survey and 1999 Monitoring the
Future Survey tell us that youth attitudes about drugs are changing.
Adolescents increasingly disapprove of illegal drugs. An ever-growing
number of young people are now using positive peer pressure to help
friends stay drug free. Our children get the message: "In America
today you have a bright, drug-free future. Don't waste it with drugs."

We have made similar progress combating illegal drug organizations
that traffic in these deadly poisons. We have cut drug - related
murders to their lowest point in over a decade. We are reducing the
supply of drugs on world markets. In Latin America, Bolivia reduced
coca cultivation by 55 percent since 1995 and in Peru cultivation
declined 66 percent over the same period. Bipartisan efforts to
confront this threat are paying real dividends to the American people.

But we cannot rest on our success. Drugs continue to exact a
tremendous toll on this country and internationally. Studies report an
increase in steroid and MDMA (ecstasy) use among youth. One in four
inmates in State prison and more than 60 percent of Federal inmates
are drug offenders. Cocaine and heroin production have skyrocketed in
Colombia.

The 2000 Annual Report illustrates where we need to focus our energies
and the initiatives needed to address the most pressing problems:

--We need to empower America's young people to reject illegal drugs.

--We need to break the cycle of drugs and crime by dramatically
increasing drug treatment programs within the criminal justice system.
These programs have been proven to reduce drug use and cut recidivism
by up to 44 percent.

--We need to close the gap between the number of people who have
serious drug abuse problems and the treatment slots available on
demand. If drug-dependent individuals want to become drug-free, they
deserve our help.

--We must strengthen efforts to stop the flow of drugs into the United
States across our southwest border and other points of entry. Through
new technologies and better coordination, we can speed-up the flow of
legitimate goods and services while turning off the tap for drugs.

--We must help committed democracies resist the transnational threat
posed by illegal drugs and the criminal organizations that traffic in
them.

These vital initiatives are key elements in our broad-based, balanced
approach to combating drug abuse.

Working together, the Congress and the Administration, teachers,
coaches, clergy, researchers, mentors, health-care professionals,
community activists, and others have made great progress in reducing
drug abuse. By doing so, we have safeguarded the dreams of our
children. We have increased the sense of security American families
feel in their homes, streets, and communities. We have helped the
international community combat a threat that respects no borders. We
have much to be proud of, but we have much more to do. I look forward
to working closely with the Congress in this effort .


William Jefferson Clinton

The White House

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs,
U.S.Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)