FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Brian Blake 202–395–6618
Wednesday, July 31, 2002
WHITE HOUSE DRUG CZAR TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE ON EFFORTS TO HELP NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH AVOID DRUGS
JOHN WALTERS TO STRESS THE NEED FOR CONTINUED OUTREACH TO TURN BACK DRUGS' DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH
(Washington, DC)—John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), will testify Thursday before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on the devastating effect of drugs on Native American youth. The 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse indicated that American Indian/Alaskan Natives showed nearly twice the rate of current drug use compared with other ethnic groups.
Director Walters will brief the Committee on ONDCP's unprecedented effort to use culturally tailored media messages to educate the Native American community on the dangers of drugs. ONDCP's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has invested more than $5 million in designing, developing, and placing the federal government's first-ever anti-drug television, radio and print advertising, specifically tailored to reach Native American elders, parents, and youth.
Credentialed media may schedule a post-hearing phone interview with Director Walters by calling Brian Blake at 202–395–6618.
