The Office of National Drug Control Policy's
FY 2003 Budget Request"
April 24, 2002
I. The President's National Drug Control Strategy
As you know, developing an effective and comprehensive drug control strategy and supporting budget is a complex challenge. I am confident, however, that our nation is prepared to meet this challenge. Upon assuming the office of Director of National Drug Control Policy last December, I began conducting an in-depth review of existing policies and program priorities. The first phase of that review culminated in the National Drug Control Strategy released by President Bush on February 12th. At this release, the President reiterated his commitment to combat drug use and emphatically stated that reducing drug use is at the center of our national agenda. I welcome the subcommittee's involvement as we continue to review our approach and will continue to ask for your guidance as we implement policies and programs to make our nation a safer and healthier place in which to live and to raise our families.
The fundamental elements of effective drug control policy are consistent with common sense. We are committed to mobilizing our nation's efforts along three major themes:
Stopping Use Before it Starts. We are using parents, educational institutions, the media, and community action to prevent young people from experimenting with drugs in the first instance and from starting on the path that all too often leads to addiction, crime, and personal and familial destruction.
Healing America's Drug Users. We are placing a strong emphasis on drug treatment. The President has made a historic commitment of $1.6 billion over five years in increased treatment funding. We will work to deploy these resources to areas and populations that need it most and provide more effective outreach to the chronically addicted drug using population.
Disrupting the Market. We are readjusting our efforts in supply reduction based on market principles. We will identify and target strategic vulnerabilities in the business of drug trafficking. We will attack the drugs, money and corrupt financial institutions, precursor chemicals, key managers and individuals, crops, key transit routes, and key communication links that facilitate drug trafficking.
This Strategy places a heavy emphasis on obtaining measurable results and providing accountability to the American people, to Congress, and to our international partners. We will measure our success against the national goals of achieving a 10 percent reduction in teenage and adult current drug use over the next two years, and a 25 percent reduction in current drug use, nationally, over the next five years, as reported by the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The Strategy recognizes that entities with counterdrug responsibilities have not worked as effectively as they should. Consistent with the goals of the President's Management Agenda, it is our task to encourage and enable these entities to enhance their performance. Good government demands it, and it is our responsibility to future generations to ensure it. Finally, in the past, our ability to manage counter-drug programs has been complicated by the methods used to calculate the national drug control budget. The Administration is developing a new way to report the national drug control budget that will be readily identifiable and will reflect policy and management decisions guiding our counter-drug efforts (see discussion on page 7).
Last Updated: April 24, 2002
