In the spring of 2010, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released its National Drug Control Strategy, the first such document released by the Obama White House. Although it was supposed to be released earlier in the year, it was delayed due to the passage of health care reform. The strategy lays out some very concrete goals, which it hopes to see achieved by the year 2015. Among these are the reduction of the number of chronic drug users by 15%, the reduction of drug-induced death by 15%, and the reduction of drugged driving incidents by 10%. Once released, the strategy received both praise and criticism from those in the field.
The Director of ONDCP — also referred to as the “Drug Czar” — is Gil Kerlikowske, the former chief of police in Seattle. In introducing the strategy to Congress, he presented it as informed by scientific breakthroughs in the fields of treatment and prevention; innovations in law enforcement; and the input of both the federal government and local agencies. Kerlikowske, and the ONDCP deputy director, A. Thomas McLellan, brought with them to Washington the hope that the ONDCP could shift its focus away from the “supply” aspect of drug control, which entails law enforcement, to the “demand” reduction aspect, which includes prevention and treatment.
While Kerlikowske and McLellan appear to be sincere about this shift in direction, the budget of ONDCP has not reflected such a change in course. Despite President Obama’s statement that “I directed the ONDCP to re-engage in efforts to prevent drug use and addiction, and to make treatment available for those who seek recovery,” the budget is still weighted heavily on the demand side. Some experts, such as John Carnavale of Carnavale Associates, have pointed out that at least in the Reagan White House the budget matched the rhetoric — the “War on Drugs” was aimed at busts and harsh jail sentences for traffickers, and had the supply-side budget to match.
“The administration’s drug strategy is largely similar to President Bush’s failed strategy, especially when it comes to short-changing drug treatment while wasting money on ineffective supply-side programs,” said Bill Piper, Director of National Policy at the Drug Policy Alliance. “It does, however, break from the past in several important respects. Most notably by setting numeric goals for reducing fatal drug overdoses, embracing needle exchange, and supporting reform of the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity. Combined, these changes could be a first step to implementing a new bottom line in U.S. drug policy; one that focuses on reducing the problems associated with both drugs and the war on drugs.”
The strategy focuses heavily on prevention, which aligns it well with the Obama White House’s emphasis on prevention of chronic diseases in its health care reform efforts. To achieve this, ONDCP places an emphasis on community involvement. Among its highest priorities, the strategy calls for the development of a community-oriented national prevention system, and providing scientifically supported information via the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. There would also be support for mentoring initiatives, and the fostering of collaboration between public health and public safety organizations.
The plan also emphasizes a desire to see primary care as a bigger part of the solution, as it would increase early interventions. ONDCP would like to see increased screenings in all healthcare settings, which would in turn require more education for health professionals so they can recognize the warning signs of substance abuse. As prescription drug abuse remains a rampant problem, drug monitoring programs are also part of the strategy for primary care settings.
Because substance abuse in America is as much a criminal justice issue as a health issue, there is also a fair amount of the strategy dedicated to the criminal justice system, and reforms that would advance new directions in drug policy. ONDCP wants to promote alternatives to incarceration through a variety of methods. These would include encouraging partnerships between law enforcement and community organizations, mandating treatment for chronic offenders that “disproportionately burden the health care and criminal justice systems,” and supporting post incarceration re-entry efforts, such as job placement and access to drug-free housing.
There is also commitment to working on the international level, since the U.S. is one of the most lucrative markets for illegal drugs. In addition to conducting joint law enforcement operations with other nations, the ONDCP aims to expand support for international prevention and treatment initiatives. Partners for this effort would include the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
“As Director Kerlikowske has witnessed in his listening sessions with the recovery community, there’s more to recovery than not using alcohol or other drugs,” said Pat Taylor, Executive Director of Faces and Voices of Recovery. “We salute the agency’s recently released strategy’s attention to the barriers to recovery that are keeping people from housing, jobs and driver’s licenses as they work to get their lives back on track…With the “War on Drugs” over and a renewed emphasis on prevention, treatment and recovery, the strategy is identifying long-overdue solutions that address addiction as the public health crisis that it is.”
