Methamphetamine
The most urgent priority of the Federal government toward reducing the supply of methamphetamine in the United States will be to tighten the international market for chemical precursors, such as pseudoephedrine and ephedrine,4 used to produce the drug. Most of the methamphetamine used in America—probably between 75 and 85 percent—is made with chemical precursors that are diverted at some point from the international stream of commerce. The remainder of the methamphetamine is produced from chemical precursors that are purchased at the wholesale or retail level and diverted for use in illicit production in the United States.
Toward this end, ONDCP Director John Walters has met with Ambassadors from China, India and the European Union. The Administration worked with allies in the international community to draft, promote, and adopt a resolution on synthetic drug precursors, including methamphetamine precursor chemicals, at the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which is the central policy-making body within the United Nations system dealing with drug-related matters. The CND supervises the application of international conventions and agreements regarding narcotic drugs and provides advice on the control of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors. In March 2006, the CND member states unanimously adopted the synthetic drug precursor resolution proposed by the United States and cosponsored by a number of CND member nations.
The second prong of the Federal government's strategy to tighten the international precursor market involves implementation of the Combat Meth Act. This important legislation, passed by Congress and recently signed by the President, contains a comprehensive set of regulations designed to help tighten the market for pseudoephedrine and other chemical precursors to methamphetamine. The Synthetics Strategy provides detail as to the various requirements of the new law, which agencies in the Administration are responsible for implementation, and along what timeline the various requirements will be implemented.
The third prong of the international precursor strategy is to continue working closely with Mexico through aggressive law enforcement activities against precursor trafficking and methamphetamine production and trafficking, and to strengthen border protection at our shared border with Mexico. Improving our bilateral efforts with Mexico to prevent methamphetamine smuggling, working with Mexican law enforcement, and encouraging the Mexican government to reduce precursor chemical diversion are also called for in the Combat Meth Act.
Domestically, the Synthetics Strategy recognizes the critical role that state and local law enforcement, as well as treatment and prevention professionals, play in addressing the methamphetamine threat. The Synthetics Strategy contains a ten-part plan to enhance the Federal partnership with state and local agencies related to methamphetamine. For example, the plan encourages States to include in their comprehensive drug control strategies a plan to address regional methamphetamine and controlled substance prescription drug abuse threats; expand Drug Endangered Children programs and Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs nationwide; continue ambitious law enforcement training programs related to methamphetamine; and improve data collection and sharing of best practices related to illicit methamphetamine use and production.
The President's Fiscal Year '07 Federal Drug Control Budget seeks increases in funding for methamphetamine lab clean-up (from $20 million to $40 million) and an increase in funding for Drug Courts from approximately $10 million to $70 million. The budget also provides $41.6 million in methamphetamine-targeted treatment research and a dedicated $25 million for methamphetamine treatment services within the Access to Recovery program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program continues to attack methamphetamine traffickers and domestic labs, as evidenced by the fact that some 96 specific HIDTA initiatives target methamphetamine, more than any other specific drug in America.
Treatment and prevention initiatives are critically important elements of the Synthetics Strategy. The National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) is continuing to research the most effective way of treating methamphetamine addiction. Additionally, in spring 2006, the SAMHSA held two regional meetings with States on methamphetamine issues. The summits were specifically designed for those State agency staff involved in developing, regulating, and funding methamphetamine treatment. The Administration will hold four regional methamphetamine summits in partnership with the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws.
Additionally, the Administration continues to support drug courts as an innovative approach for helping nonviolent offenders achieve a drug-free life. The coercive power of the courts, together with the support of family, friends, and counselors, has been shown to be an effective mechanism for achieving drug abstinence and reducing recidivism. One study has shown that 43.5 percent of offenders who did not participate in a drug court program are rearrested for a serious offense, while only 16.4 percent of drug court graduates are rearrested.5 For fiscal year 2007, the President has requested a significant increase in support to States for drug courts above the enacted fiscal year 2006 level.
SAMHSA's Access to Recovery (ATR) program is a voucher-based program intended to expand access to innovative drug and alcohol and to effective substance abuse treatment and recovery support services, including faith-based providers. In August of 2004, SAMHSA awarded grants to 14 States and one tribal organization. It is estimated that this cohort of grantees will serve approximately 125,000 individuals over the three-year life of the grants. In the President's 2007 budget, the ATR program includes approximately $25 million in vouchers for methamphetamine treatment that will fund approximately 10 grants to State applicants whose epidemiological data indicate high methamphetamine prevalence.
Moreover, SAMHSA announced 11 new, three-year grants to provide treatment for methamphetamine abuse and other emerging drugs for adults residing in rural communities. These grants total $5.4 million for the first year and approximately $16.2 million for all three years.
With respect to prevention, NIDA continues to support research to develop effective drug abuse prevention programs. In 2003, NIDA revised its Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide for Parents, Educators, and Community Leaders, which presents updated research-based prevention principles, an overview of program planning, and critical first steps for those learning about prevention. Because the goal of drug abuse prevention efforts is to prevent the initiation of drug use, most of these prevention efforts are not targeted toward any specific drug. However, recent results also demonstrate that these universal prevention programs can be effective at reducing methamphetamine abuse specifically.
Starting in late 2005, ONDCP and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America launched a new television advertising campaign to highlight the dangers of methamphetamine. The anti-methamphetamine media campaign and the utilization of these commercials by communities most affected by methamphetamine are important components of the Administration's plan to prevent the illicit use of the drug among both youth and the general population. The anti-methamphetamine campaign was launched in Springfield, Missouri, and is being expanded to 23 cities nationwide.
4 This document will frequently use the term pseudoephedrine to generically describe three chemicals commonly used as methamphetamine and amphetamine precursors: pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine.
5 J. Roman, W. Townsend, and A. Bhati (2003, July). National estimates of drug court recidivism rates. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. These figures are for all drug court participants, not just those with a history of methamphetamine use.
