Dear Readers,

Presumably, by the time you read this President Obama will have formally announced the person he has selected to head up the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). As I write this, the office is still operating under the direction of Edward Jurith, who Obama appointed as Acting Director of ONDCP, shortly after he took office in January. Mr. Jurith previously served in this same position under an appointment by President Clinton on Jan. 10, 2001, until Dec. 7, 2001.

There has been much speculation not only over who will become the new drug czar, but also on how President Obama’s administration will handle the national drug control policy.

ONDCP was originally established by Congress as part of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to establish policies, priorities and objectives for the nation’s drug control program. The ONDCP Director (AKA Drug Czar) is tasked with producing the National Drug Control Strategy, to outline the nation’s anti-drug strategy, and to set an appropriate budget and guidelines for cooperation among Federal, State and local officials. The strategy addresses a wide variety of issues, such as the manufacturing, trafficking and illicit use of drugs; drug-related crime and violence; and drug-related health consequences.

Additionally, the drug czar coordinates and oversees international and domestic efforts of executive branch agencies, and advises both the President and Federal agencies on matters that affect the nation’s anti-drug efforts.

For the past several years the nation’s drug control strategy has leaned much more toward reducing drug supply, through international drug interdiction and law enforcement activities. For obvious reasons, these activities are critical components of any federal drug control policy, in that finding and eradicating processing facilities and disrupting the flow of drugs will result in limited availability. However, many would argue that demand reduction is just as important, which is why many addiction treatment advocates are hopeful that  the new ONDCP regime might be more supportive of a strategy that focuses more on treatment and prevention.

In a report released late last year by policy analysts at Carnevale Associates, LLC, pointed to a survey in which three out of every four Americans believe the nation is losing the war on drugs. The report further states that while there was “some initial progress” in reducing drug use among 18- to 25-year olds, the rate of illicit drug use among the youth population has not changed in the last three years, with abuse of prescription drugs and methamphetamines at “epidemic levels.”

According to the report, the federal drug budget has never provided adequate support for drug treatment and prevention, with more than two-thirds of the budget being funneled to supply reduction.

The report recommended that the next administration should implement an evidence-based strategy that includes: adopting policies that are grounded in research; developing a budget to support these policies; and maintaining a performance measurement system to ensure accountability.

What if you were appointed Drug Czar — what would be in your drug control strategy for the nation?  As always, I encourage you to share your thoughts with your fellow readers. You can reach me by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by mail. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,


Stephanie L. Muller
Editor
Counselor, TheMagazine for Addiction Counselors
A Health Communications, Inc. Publication

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