|
The Constitution of the United States articulates the obligation of the federal government to uphold the public good, providing a bulwark against all threats, foreign and domestic. Drug abuse, and the illegal use of alcohol and tobacco constitute such a threat.
National Drug Control Strategies have been produced annually since 1989. Each defined demand reduction as a priority. A consensus was reached that drug prevention, education, and treatment must be complemented by supply reduction actions abroad, on our borders, and within the United States. Each strategy also shared the commitment to maintain and enforce anti-drug laws.
The National Drug Control Strategy proposes a multi-year conceptual framework to reduce illegal drug use and availability by 50 percent.
The Strategy focuses on prevention, treatment, research, law enforcement, protection of our borders, and international cooperation.
|
Mandate for a National Drug Control Strategy |
The ways in which the federal government responds to drug abuse and trafficking are outlined in the following laws and orders:
|
The Controlled Substances Act, Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 provided a comprehensive approach to the regulation, manufacture, and distribution of narcotics, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, anabolic steroids, and chemicals used in the production of controlled substances. |
|
Executive Order No. 12564 (1986) made it a condition of employment for all federal employees to refrain from using drugs. This order required every federal agency to develop a comprehensive drug-free workplace program. |
|
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 established as a policy goal the creation of a drug-free America. A key provision of that Act was the establishment of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to set priorities, implement a national strategy, and certify federal drug-control budgets. The law specifies that the strategy must be comprehensive and research-based, contain long-range goals and measurable objectives, and seek to reduce drug abuse, trafficking, and their consequences. Specifically, drug abuse is to be curbed by preventing youth from using illegal drugs, reducing the number of users, and decreasing drug availability. |
|
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 extended ONDCP's mission to assessing budgets and resources related to the National Drug Control Strategy. It also established specific reporting requirements in the areas of drug use, availability, consequences, and treatment. |
|
Executive Order No. 12880 (1993) and Executive Orders Nos. 12992 and 13023 (1996) assigned ONDCP responsibility within the executive branch for leading drug-control policy and developing an outcome-measurement system. The executive orders also chartered the President's Drug Policy Council and established the ONDCP director as the President's chief spokesman for drug-control. |
|
The Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 required the President to submit to Congress by February 1999 a comprehensive National Drug Control Strategy for reducing drug abuse and the consequences of drug abuse in the United States by limiting the availability of and reducing the demand for illegal drugs.
|
All information and reports required by the Act are included in the following documents:
The National Drug Control Strategy.
Drug Control Budget: FY 2000.
Performance Measures of Effectiveness: Implementation and Findings.
Classified Annex.
The ONDCP Reauthorization Act of 1998 also requires the President to submit to Congress each February a report on progress in implementing the Strategy.
The National Drug Control Strategy 2000 Annual Report states the following strategic goals :
- Educate and enable America's youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco.
- Increase the safety of America's citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence.
- Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal drug use.
- Shiel America's air, land, and sea frontiers from the drug threat.
- Break foreign and domestic drug sources of supply.
|
