Chairman Souder, Ranking Member Cummings, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the Federal response to treatment needs of populations affected by methamphetamine.
Introduction
President Bush took office in 2001 with an agenda to counter high levels of drug use. Targets were set to reduce youth drug use by 10 percent in two years and by 25 percent in five years. By 2003, the first target had not only been achieved, but exceeded. The second target is within reach, as overall teen use of drugs declined 19 percent by 2005. Of central relevance to the present hearings, past-month use of methamphetamine in youthful populations (grades 8, 10, 12) has declined 34 percent since 2001, according to the 2005 Monitoring the Future survey. This reduction is highly encouraging because use of illicit drugs during adolescence and early adulthood presages use, abuse, and addiction in adult populations. Education programs and outreach activities, sustained by an infrastructure of scientific evidence and a public health approach, have combined to change cultural perceptions about the consequences of drug use. This is reflected by the increased perception of the detrimental consequences of illicit drug use on the health of the brain and body and that extend to personal behavior, well-being, and society as a whole. The achievements over the past five years can be attributed to multiple factors, including providing enhanced access to treatment, mobilizing communities, cities, and the judiciary to engage time and resources in prevention and treatment, and disrupting illicit drug markets.
Concomitant with his strategy to prevent drug use, the President is committed to providing treatment to heal America’s drug users. Treatment for methamphetamine addiction is sustained by these initiatives.
In support of these efforts, this Administration has asked for $12.7 billion for FY07, $80 million more than FY06 enacted funds. Of this amount, 35 percent is targeted to demand reduction programs that will contribute significantly to reducing illicit synthetic drug use. These programs include drug courts, screening and intervention, treatment services such as Access to Recovery, Drug-Free Communities, which are local coalitions devised to alter drug use norms in cities and communities, and the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, which targets a national
audience with powerful anti-drug messages. Funding to address methamphetamine is also provided through programs such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Programs of Regional and National Significance, Community Oriented Policing Services, which focus on methamphetamine lab cleanup, and methamphetamine treatment and recovery support services within Access to Recovery.
By enhancing public perception of drug use as a harmful practice, by further incorporating the behavioral and biological consequences of drug use into the public health realm, and by commitment to disrupting the supply of illicit drugs, America has made considerable progress in guiding our nation towards reduced drug use. We are cognizant of emerging new drug-related challenges, such as methamphetamine and prescription drug abuse, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy is committed to addressing the on-going threat of abused drugs and their associated problems.
I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize Congress for passing the Combat Meth Act this spring. Its provisions build upon the successes of several state efforts, where access to products containing methamphetamine precursors are limited, such as placing medications containing psuedoephedrine behind store counters. States that have adopted such restrictions have experienced significant drops in methamphetamine laboratory numbers. The nation deserves a uniform national standard that allows law-abiding citizens access to these products in reasonable amounts, but severely limits the ability of would-be methamphetamine cooks to get these chemicals for methamphetamine production. As the Combat Meth Act provisions take effect, we are confident that these provisions will make significant further contributions to reducing methamphetamine in the United States.
