The Strategy
The Synthetic Drug Control Strategy is designed to complement the National Drug Control Strategy and to address specifically the challenges of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine. I will present a brief overview of the Administration’s strategy and then review federally coordinated efforts that specifically address your interest in treatment approaches to methamphetamine. Then you will hear from my colleagues, Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and Charles Curie, Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, who will discuss in detail prevention and treatment programs administered by their respective agencies.
The National Synthetic Drugs Action Plan of 2004 delineates Federal and State initiatives for prevention, treatment, regulation and law enforcement of synthetic drugs. It also provides specific recommendations for enhancing government efforts to reduce synthetic drug abuse. The Synthetic Drug Control Strategy, which was released in June of 2006, incorporates prevention, treatment, and market disruption initiatives to reduce illicit methamphetamine and prescription drug use by 15 percent, and domestic methamphetamine laboratory seizures by 25 percent over three years.
Key components of the Strategy, targeted to State and local governments are to: 1. encourage inclusion of methamphetamine and controlled substance prescription drug abuse threats in their comprehensive drug control strategies; 2. identify and share the most effective State-level
approaches for reducing methamphetamine production and use as well as controlled substance prescription drug diversion; 3. assist in coordinating Federal, State and local action against synthetic drugs; 4. expand Drug Endangered Children programs and training to all 50 States by the end of 2008.
In collaboration with Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, and the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws (NAMSDL), Office of National Drug Control Policy will hold four (4) Regional Methamphetamine Conferences during the next 12 months. NAMSDL will organize and facilitate the conferences. The goal is to encourage individual States to develop –or expand upon– their own Methamphetamine Strategy and offer assistance after the conference, for example on how to access Drug Court funding, how to develop and fund a Community Coalition, and how to draft model drug laws.
