THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2001
FACT SHEET: PRESIDENT BUSH ACTS TO EMPOWER COMMUNITIES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUG ABUSE
Presidential Action
President Bush signed legislation that extends and expands the Drug-Free
Communities Support Program, which supports community-based efforts nationwide
to reduce the demand for illegal drugs. It's an important step forward in the
President's agenda for reducing illegal drug use through effective education,
prevention and treatment.
President Bush also called on the Senate to move forward with the Armies of
Compassion legislation to support charitable organizations in America, including
many faith- and community-based institutions that are making remarkable progress
in preventing and treating drug abuse.
About the Drug-Free Communities Support Program
The President believes in a balanced approach to drug policy that
emphasizes not only efforts to reduce the supply of drugs coming into our
country from overseas, but also reducing the demand for drugs here at home.
The Drug-Free Communities Support Program supports community anti-drug
coalitions that harness local energy and resources to work together toward the
common goal of reducing substance abuse. Coalitions include local partnerships
between youth, parents, businesses, the media, schools, youth organizations, law
enforcement, religious or fraternal organizations, civic groups, health care
professionals, state, local or tribal governmental agencies, and other
organizations.
Activities include parent drug education programs, youth summits where
young people learn to resist drugs, local drug use surveys in middle and high
schools, drug intervention counseling services, tutoring and financial
incentives for businesses that adopt drug-free workplace programs. Coalitions
empower individuals and communities at the local level to join national drug
prevention efforts.
The President's Budget for FY02 provided more than $50 million for the
Drug-Free Communities Support Program—an increase of $10.6 million over FY01.
The legislation signed by the President today authorizes annual increases that
will meet the Presidential commitment to increase the size of the program to
nearly $100 million by FY07.
The Drug-Free Communities Support Program was created in 1997. Since then,
it has awarded 464 grants to coalitions in 50 states, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Of these grants, approximately 35%
were awarded to coalitions in urban areas, 17% in suburban communities, 39% in
small towns or rural areas, and the remainder to other types of communities.
The maximum award is $100,000 per fiscal year, with each grantee having to match
federal dollars with non-federal funds or in-kind support.
The President's Budget strongly supports other key demand reduction
initiatives, including:
- Narrowing the treatment gap with a five-year commitment to increasing
resources for treatment services by $1.6 billion, including targeted treatment
programs for children and adolescents.
- Increasing resources for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
- Securing $180 million for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to
ensure that vital anti-drug public service advertisements continue to reach
parents and children.
- Strongly supporting Drug Courts and other criminal justice diversion
programs to help more Americans break the vicious cycle of addiction and
incarceration.
For more information on the President's initiatives, please visit
