Office of National Drug Control Policy

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Office of National Drug Control Policy

• Current Perspectives on Our National Drug
  Control Policy
• Hon. Andrea Barthwell, M.D., F.A.S.A.M.
• Deputy Director, Office of Demand Reduction
• State Systems Development Program Conference VI
• Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
• November 20, 2002

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National Drug Control Strategy

• A Balanced Approach
• 1. Stopping Drug Use Before it Starts -
  Education Community Action
• 2. Healing Americas Drug Users - Getting
  Treatment resources where they are needed
• 3. Disrupting the Market - Attacking the Drug
  Trades Economic Basis

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Presidents Strategic Goals

• 10 Reduction in Current Rates of Teen and Adult
  Drug Use by 2002
• 25 Reduction in Current Rates of Teen and Adult
  Drug Use by 2005

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Demand Reduction Priorities

• Stop the Initiation of Drug Use
• Intervene With Drug Users to Stop
• Improve Treatment Delivery to Achieve Significant
  Sustained Reduction in the Number of Drug
  Dependent Individuals

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Develop Knowledge

• Successfully preventing the initiation,
  intervening to stop non-dependent use, improving
  access to and the delivery of drug treatment
  requires that we must continually refine our
  understanding of illicit drug use.

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Stop Initiation

• Prevention efforts must draw upon the best
  available science
• Shall include universal, selected indicated
  interventions
• Universal entire populations
• Selective sub-groups at risk
• Indicated identify to intervene

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Intervention with Non-Dependent Users

• Targeting users who are not yet dependent
• Non-dependent users often dont perceive negative
  consequences of their use
• Stopping progression requires adopting early
  identification intervention programs

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Improve Treatment

• To be successful, Treatment must be
• Driven by assessment
• Buttressed by case management
• Completed with follow up support
• Medications are an important element
• To ensure adequate treatment capacity, stable
  public private funding is essential

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WHAT IS UNDERWAY?
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Develop Knowledge

• Market Model Utilization
• Improve Demand Reduction Research
• Enhance Contact with Cities and States
  Monitoring of Outcomes

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Stop Initiation

• Nurture Prevention Field foster Federal
  Leadership
• Improve the Safe Drug Free Schools Program
• Increase International Demand Reduction outreach
  efforts

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Intervene with Non-Dependent Users

• Marijuana initiative
• Expand Drug Testing as a Detection Tool - in
  Schools and Highway Safety
• Engage Secondary Social Institutions -
• Workplaces, Faith Based Recovery, Rally Colleges
  Universities, Philanthropic groups

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Improve Treatment

• Expand Capacity Improve Delivery System
• Improve Accountability
• Criminal Justice System Drug Courts
• Welfare Reform Drug Policy
• Public Housing Drug Policy

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Marijuana Initiative

• According to the 2001 Household Survey,
  approximately 16 million Americans over 12 were
  current users of illicit drugs
• 12.2 million (76.7) of these current drug users
  report current Marijuana use

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The Marijuana Problem

• Marijuana and Youth
• Ballot Initiatives
• Decriminalization
• Legalization
• Medicalization
• Hemp

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Extent of the Problem

• Marijuana is widely used -- over 3/4s of current
  drug users report current use
• Of the 5.6 million Americans suffering from
  illegal drug dependence or abuse, 62 are abusing
  or dependent upon Marijuana
• 60 of teens entering drug treatment have a
  primary Marijuana diagnosis

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Extent of the Problem

• More young people are now in treatment for
  Marijuana
• Marijuana as a cause for emergency room visits
  has dramatically increased
• Marijuana use leads to changes in the brain

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Extent of the Problem

• Heavy Marijuana abuse impairs ability of young
  people to retain information
• Youth who use Marijuana weekly are nearly 4
  times more likely to engage in violence

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THE YOUNGER CHILDREN ARE WHEN THEY FIRST USE
MARIJUANA, THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO USE
COCAINE AND HEROIN AND BECOME DEPENDENT ON DRUGS
AS ADULTS.
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Marijuana Youth Initiation

• If Initiated Before the Age of 15
• 9 use Heroin
• 54 misuse Psychotherapeutics
• 62 use Cocaine
• 9 fold increase in Abuse or Dependence
  (18 vs. 2)

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Underlying Themes

• Powerful Potent Substance
• Initiation Use are at an all time high
• Scientific Basis to Address this Issue
• Costs to Society

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ODRs Strategy

• Reduce Initiation
• Intervene With Users
• Improve Treatment for Dependent

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Inflection Point
Myth 1 Marijuana is harmless Myth 2
Marijuana is not addictive Myth 3 Youth
Marijuana experimentation is inevitable Myth 4
Marijuana is not associated with acts of terror
or violence, as Cocaine Heroin are Myth 5
Prisons are filled with non-violent, casual
Marijuana users
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Message Components

• Increased Appreciation for Potential Harms
• Increased Appreciation for Risks
• Increased Awareness of Health Public Health
  Complications
• Increased Knowledge of Consequences of Use

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Directors Message

• These failed initiatives represent the high
  water mark of the drug legalization movement.
  Common sense has prevailed, from now on, the tide
  turns our way...
• ONDCP Director John Walters
• November 6, 2002

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Directors Message

• the way of dedicated Americans working to
  protect their children and their communities from
  the dangers of drugs.
• ONDCP Director John Walters
• November 6, 2002

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Directors Message

• We will continue to support the tireless work of
  parents, teachers, treatment providers,
  prevention advocates
• ONDCP Director John Walters
• November 6, 2002

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Directors Message

• ...law enforcement officials, and the millions
  of other citizens working to make our nations
  drug problem smaller.
• ONDCP Director John Walters
• November 6, 2002