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I. Annual Report and the National Drug Control Strategy: An Overview

Annual Report on Implementing the National Drug Control Strategy

Prior to this year, Congress required the Administration to submit a National Drug Control Strategy each year. The most recent strategy was submitted in February 1999. Public Law 105-277 now requires the President to submit to Congress only an annual report on the progress in implementing the Strategy.* General reporting requirements for the Annual Report include:

  1. Assessment of federal success in achieving the National Drug Control Strategy goals and objectives (using the Strategy's Performance Measures of Effectiveness system). This analysis includes an assessment of drug use and availability in the United States as well as prevention, treatment, law enforcement, interdiction, and international programs.


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  2. Modifications during the preceding year of the National Drug Control Strategy or national drug control performance measurement system.


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  3. Explanation of how the Administration's budget proposal is intended to
    implement the National Drug Control Strategy.

  4. Measurable data from the annual performance measures.


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  5. An assessment of private-sector initiatives and cooperative efforts dealing with drug control among federal, state, and local governments.

This annual report addresses the specific reporting requirements outlined in PL 105-277.

  • Chapter 1 summarizes the National Drug Control Strategy.


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  • Chapter 2 provides information on drug use and availability and their social consequences. This information is based on the most recent national, state, and local surveys, among other studies. Given that these data instruments sometimes cover different time frames, consistent comparisons of data over the same period are not always possible. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (released in August 1999), for example, provides information about drug use in 1998 while the Monitoring the Future Survey (released in December 1999) contains 1999 data. The Data Appendix summarizes the instruments used to prepare this Annual Report and outlines steps being taken to improve the information that supports national drug policy.


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  • Chapter 3 outlines accomplishments of (and modifications to) prevention, treatment, law enforcement, interdiction, and international programs (including private-sector and governmental initiatives and cooperative efforts).


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  • Chapter 4 reviews the Administration's Fiscal Year 2001 drug control budget proposal. More details about the budget proposal are provided in the companion Budget Summary volume.


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  • Chapter 5 summarizes the consultation process followed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy during 1999 in implementing the National Drug Control Strategy.


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  • The second companion volume — Performance Measures of Effectiveness 2000 — provides information on ninety-seven specific performance targets used to gauge progress in the Strategy's five goals and thirty-one objectives. The 2000 PME report assesses progress against the base year of 1996 and outlines mid- (2002) and long-term (2007) goals. The report also outlines modifications made in the national drug control performance measurement system.


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  • A third companion volume — Counterdrug Research and Development Blueprint Update — reviews the research agenda of ONDCP's Counter-Drug Technology Assessment Center and contains the Annual Report on Development and Deployment of Narcotics Detection Technology required by 21USC/505a.


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  • The National Drug Control Strategy also includes a separate Classified Annex, which is transmitted to Congress separately. This document is the President's interagency plan for countering international drug cultivation, production, and trafficking.

The National Response to Drug Abuse

The American people have always demonstrated a resolve to fortify the nation's democratic structures and improve opportunities for all citizens. In the face of divergent threats, successive generations were determined to build a stronger, healthier country. These essential values remain with us today, especially in connection with the problem of substance abuse. The vast majority of Americans repeatedly assert a desire to be rid of illegal drugs. The United States is committed to reducing drug use and its destructive consequences.

Drug abuse and related crime permeate every corner of our society, afflicting inner cities, affluent suburbs, and rural communities. Drugs affect rich and poor, educated and uneducated, professionals and blue-collar workers, young and old. Seventy-three percent of drug users in America are employed. Some of the elderly suffer from addiction as do people in the prime of their lives. Drug use is prevalent among the young although it is not as widespread as many children and adolescents think.

The history of drug use in America indicates this blight is cyclic in nature. When the nation fails to pay attention and take precautions, drug abuse spreads. The introduction of cocaine in the late nineteenth century exemplifies how attitudes affect the incidence of drug abuse. Cocaine use skyrocketed because the psycho-pharmacological effects of this drug were poorly understood while its alleged benefits were touted by health authorities whose claims were repeated in commercial advertising. Only when the negative consequences of cocaine addiction became widespread did perceptions change. Drug abuse was condemned and new laws were passed, creating a healthier nation with a lower crime rate.

When people no longer focused on the problem of drug abuse, it resurfaced. New drugs were developed, some of which were more potent than their predecessors. Associated with these drugs were subcultures with special appeal for the young and impressionable. Once again, drug abuse increased as did its deleterious consequences. Twice in this century drug use rose and then fell. Illegal drugs never disappeared entirely although the percentage of Americans who used them declined dramatically.

If we aren't careful, the numbers of drug abusers could go up again. Drug use among children is a particularly urgent concern. Beginning around 1990, teens and preteens adopted more permissive attitudes toward drugs. Soon thereafter, actions followed perceptions, and use of illegal drugs increased among young people. This trend continued through 1996 before stabilizing in 1997. In 1998, 6.2 percent of Americans twelve and older were current users of illicit drugs. This figure is down 56 percent from the 14.1 percent of the U.S. population twelve and older who were current users in 1979.

Drug abuse and its consequences can be reduced. By historical standards, present rates of drug use are relatively low. With the concerted efforts outlined in the National Drug Control Strategy and described in this Annual Report, we can lower them further. Indeed, the will of the American people is such that we aim to slash rates of drug use by half over the next several years.

The Role of Government

The first duty of government is to provide security for citizens. The Constitution of the United States articulates the obligation of the federal government to uphold the public good, providing a bulwark against all threats, foreign and domestic. Drug abuse, and the illicit use of alcohol and tobacco by those under the legal age, constitute such a threat. Toxic, addictive substances are a hazard to our safety and freedom, producing devastating crime and health problems. Drug abuse diminishes the potential of citizens for growth and development. However, the federal government cannot address the problem alone. Drug abuse demands a comprehensive solution involving not only federal programs but also efforts on the part of states, counties, cities, communities, families, civic groups, coalitions, and other organizations.

The rule of law and individual freedom are not incompatible. Although government must minimize interference in the private lives of citizens, it cannot deny people the security on which peace of mind depends. Drug abuse impairs rational thinking and the potential for a full, productive life. Drug abuse, drug trafficking, and their consequences destroy personal liberty and the well-being of communities. Drugs drain the physical, intellectual, spiritual, and moral strength of America. Crime, violence, workplace accidents, family misery, drug-exposed children, and addiction are only part of the price imposed on society. Illegal drugs indiscriminately destroy old and young, men and women, from all racial and ethnic groups and every walk of life.

Mandate for a National Drug Control Strategy

The federal government has responded to drug abuse and trafficking with the following laws and executive orders:

  • The Controlled Substances Act, Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 provides an effective approach to the regulation, manufacture, and distribution of narcotics, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, anabolic steroids, and chemicals used in the production of controlled substances.


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  • The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 and other statutes passed by the 98th Congress reformed the bail and sentencing laws applicable to drug trafficking and other crimes, created a new offense with an enhanced penalty for distributing drugs near schools, and revised civil and criminal forfeiture laws.


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  • The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 enhanced penalties for drug trafficking. It also created a new offense with an enhanced penalty for using a juvenile to commit a drug offense, amended the forfeiture laws, proscribed trafficking in controlled substance "analogues" (sometimes referred to as "designer" drug), created money laundering offenses, and proscribed use of interstate commerce to distribute drug paraphernalia.


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  • Executive Order No. 12564 (1986) makes refraining from illegal drug use a condition of employment for all federal employees. This order requires every federal agency to develop a comprehensive drug-free workplace program.


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  • The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 establishes as a policy goal the creation of a drug-free America. A key provision of the Act is the establishment of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to set priorities, implement a national strategy, and certify federal drug control budgets. The law specifies that the strategy must be comprehensive and research-based; contain long-range goals and measurable objectives; and seek to reduce drug abuse, trafficking, and their consequences. Specifically, drug abuse is to be curbed by preventing youth from using illegal drugs, reducing the number of users, and decreasing drug availability.


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  • The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 extends ONDCP's mission to assessing budgets and resources related to the National Drug Control Strategy. It also establishes specific reporting requirements in the areas of drug use, availability, consequences, and treatment.


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  • Executive Order No. 12880 (1993) and Executive Orders Nos. 12992 and 13023 (1996) assign ONDCP responsibility within the executive branch of government for leading drug control policy and developing an outcome-measurement system. The executive orders also charter the President's Drug Policy Council and establish the ONDCP Director as the President's chief spokesman for drug control.


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  • The Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 expands ONDCP's mandate and authority. It sets forth additional reporting requirements and expectations, including:

    1. Development of a long-term national drug strategy

    2. Implementation of a robust performance-measurement system

    3. Commitment to a five-year national drug control program budget

    4. Permanent authority granted to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program along with improvements in HIDTA management

    5. Greater demand-reduction responsibilities given to the Counter-Drug Technology Assessment Center (CTAC)
    6. Statutory authority for the President's Council on Counter-Narcotics

    7. Increased reporting to Congress on drug control activities

    8. Reorganization of ONDCP to allow more effective national leadership

    9. Improved coordination among national drug control program agencies

    10. Establishment of a Parents Advisory Council on Drug Abuse
Evolution of the National Drug Control Strategy

National drug control strategies were produced annually between 1989 and 1999. The strategies increasingly recognized the importance of preventing drug use by young people. The various documents affirmed that no single approach could rescue the nation from the cycle of drug abuse. A consensus was reached that drug prevention, education, treatment, and research must be complemented by supply-reduction abroad, on our borders, and within the United States. Each strategy shared the commitment to maintain and enforce anti-drug laws. All the strategies, with growing success, tied policy to a scientific body of knowledge about the nation's drug problems. The 1996 Strategy established five goals and thirty-two supporting objectives as the basis for a coherent, long-term national effort. These goals remain the heart of the 1999 Strategy and will guide federal drug control agencies over the next five years. These goals are useful for state and local governments as well as the private sector.

Overview of the National Drug Control Strategy

The National Drug Control Strategy takes a long-term, holistic view of the nation's drug problem and recognizes the devastating effect drug abuse has on the nation's public health and safety. The Strategy maintains that no single solution can suffice to deal with this multifaceted challenge. The Strategy focuses on prevention, treatment, research, law enforcement, protection of our borders, drug supply reduction, and international cooperation. It provides general guidance while identifying specific initiatives. Through a balanced array of demand-reduction and supply-reduction actions, we strive to achieve a 50 percent decrease in drug use and availability and at least a 25 percent decrease in the consequences of drug abuse by 2007. If this goal is achieved, just 3 percent of the household population aged twelve and over would use illegal drugs. This level would be the lowest documented drug-use rate in American history. Drug-related health, economic, social, and criminal costs would be reduced commensurately.

Preventing drug use in the first place is preferable to addressing the problem later through law enforcement and treatment. The Strategy focuses on young people, seeking to educate them about the dangers of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. In addition to drug-prevention for children, intervention programs must help young adults as they leave home to start college or join the workplace.

There are approximately five million drug abusers who need immediate treatment, and who constitute a major portion of domestic demand. Without help, these adults will suffer from poor health, unstable family relations, and other negative consequences of substance abuse. Since parental alcohol and drug abuse is a significant predictor of youth drug use and is often the cause of serious child abuse and neglect, treatment for parents is key to breaking the inter-generational cycle of addiction. Accordingly, the Strategy focuses on treatment. Research clearly demonstrates that treatment works. We must take advantage of all opportunities — in the workplace, the criminal justice system, and our communities — to encourage drug abusers to become drug-free.

Substance abuse by offenders is another area of concern. In 1997, a third of state prisoners and about one in five federal prisoners said they had committed the offenses that led to incarceration while under the influence of drugs. A zero-tolerance drug program that includes treatment for substance abuse, in lieu of incarceration, will help large numbers of non-violent, drug-related offenders. Experience proves that drug courts, drug testing, and drug treatment within the criminal justice system can reduce drug consumption and recidivism. Over time, expanded alternatives to incarceration promise to decrease the addicted population and reduce both crime and the number of incarcerated Americans. The ultimate goal is to help people with drug problems renounce crime and enter the workforce as productive, self-sufficient, tax-paying members of society. Education and job-training should accompany treatment.

Effective law enforcement is essential in reducing drug-related crime within the United States. Illegal drug trafficking inflicts violence and corruption on our communities. The criminal activity that comes with drug trafficking has both a domestic and international component. Domestic traffickers are often linked with international organizations. Federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations, working together through programs like the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), must share information and resources in order to maximize their impact on criminal drug trafficking organizations.

The Strategy stresses the need to protect borders from drug incursion and cut drug supply more effectively in domestic communities. It emphasizes initiatives to share intelligence and make use of the latest technology in these efforts. As a major gateway for the entry of illegal drugs into the United States, the Southwest border receives considerable attention within the Strategy. Resources have also been allocated to close other avenues of drug entry into the United States, including the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Canadian border, and all air and sea ports.

The United States seeks to curtail illegal drug trafficking in the transit zone between source countries and the U.S. Multinational efforts in the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, and the Far East are being coordinated to exert maximum pressure on drug traffickers. TheUnited States supports a number of international efforts against drug trafficking that are being coordinated with the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), and the Organization of American States (OAS).

Supply-reduction operations can best be mounted at the source: the Andean Ridge for cocaine and heroin; Mexico for methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana; and Southeast Asia and South Central Asia for heroin. Where access to source regions is limited by political complications, we support international efforts to curtail the drug trade.

The National Drug Control Strategy is based on sound research, technology, and intelligence. The Strategy will be adjusted according to feedback from ONDCP's Performance Measures of Effectiveness system. Conditions are fluid, so the Strategy will change to respond to emerging issues. We can measure — target by target — how successful we are in achieving goals and objectives. The Strategy receives input from a wide range of organizations, individuals, and government branches.

The overriding objective of our drug control strategy is to keep Americans safe from the threats posed by illegal drugs. We hope to create a healthier, less violent, stable nation unfettered by drug traffickers and the corruption they perpetrate.

Goals of the National Drug Control Strategy**

Goal 1: Educate and enable America's youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco.

Drug use is preventable. If children reach adulthood without using illegal drugs, alcohol, or tobacco, they are unlikely to develop a chemical-dependency problem. To this end, the Strategy fosters initiatives to educate children about the dangers associated with drugs. ONDCP involves parents, coaches, mentors, teachers, clergy, and other role models in a broad prevention campaign. ONDCP encourages businesses, communities, schools, the entertainment industry, universities, and sports organizations to join these national anti-drug efforts.

Researchers have identified important factors that place youth at risk for drug abuse or protect them against such behavior. Risk factors are associated with greater potential for drug problems while protective factors reduce the chances of drug problems. Risk factors include a chaotic home environment, ineffective parenting, anti-social behavior, drug-using peers, general approval of drug use, and the misperception that the overwhelming majority of one's peers are substance users. Protective factors include parental involvement; success in school; strong bonds with family, school, and religious organizations; knowledge of dangers posed by drug use; and the recognition by young people that substance use is not acceptable behavior.

Goal 2: Increase the safety of America's citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence.

The negative social consequences of drug-related crime and violence mirror the tragedy that substance abuse wreaks on individuals. A large percentage of the twelve million property crimes committed each year in America are drug related, as is a significant proportion of nearly two million violent crimes. The approximately five million drug abusers in need of treatment contribute disproportionately to this problem.

Increasing public safety is accomplished through a number of initiatives. Drug-related crime can be reduced through community-oriented policing and other law-enforcement tactics, which have been demonstrated by police departments in New York and other cities where crime rates are plunging. Cooperation among federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies also makes a difference. So, too, do operations targeting gangs, trafficking organizations, and violent drug dealers. Equitable enforcement of fair laws is critical. We are a nation wedded to the prospect of equal justice for all. Punishment must be perceived as commensurate with the offense. Finally, the criminal justice system must do more than punish. It should use its coercive powers to break the cycle of drugs and crime. Substance abuse treatment should be made available in our nation's prisons.

Goal 3: Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal drug use.

Drug dependence is a chronic, relapsing disorder that exacts an enormous cost on individuals, families, businesses, communities, and nations. Addicted individuals frequently engage in self-destructive and criminal behavior. Treatment programs can reduce the consequences of addiction on the rest of society. The ultimate goal of treatment is to enable a patient to become abstinent and to improve functioning through sustained recovery. On the way to that goal, reduction of drug use, improvement of the addict's ability to function in society, and addressing the medical needs of the addicted are useful interim outcomes. Providing treatment for America's chronic drug abusers is both compassionate public policy and a sound investment.

Goal 4: Shield America's air, land, and sea frontiers from the drug threat.

The United States is obligated to protect its citizens from the threats posed by illegal drugs crossing our borders. Interdiction in the transit and arrival zones disrupts drug flow, increases risks to traffickers, drives them to less efficient routes and methods, and prevents significant quantities of drugs from reaching the United States. Interdiction operations also produce information that can be used by domestic law-enforcement agencies against trafficking organizations.

Goal 5: Break foreign and domestic drug sources of supply.

The rule of law, human rights, and democratic institutions are threatened by drug trafficking and consumption. International supply-reduction programs not only reduce the volume of illegal drugs reaching our shores, they also attack international criminal organizations, strengthen democratic institutions, and honor our international drug control commitments. The U.S. supply-reduction strategy seeks to: (1) eliminate illegal drug cultivation and production, (2) destroy drug-trafficking organizations, (3) interdict drug shipments, (4) encourage international cooperation, and (5) safeguard democracy and human rights. Additional information about international drug control programs is contained in the Classified Annex to this Strategy.

The United States continues to focus international drug control efforts on source countries. International drug-trafficking organizations and their production and trafficking infrastructures are most concentrated, detectable, and vulnerable to effective law-enforcement action in source countries. In addition, cultivation of coca and opium poppy and production of cocaine and heroin are labor intensive. For these reasons, cultivation and processing are relatively easier to disrupt than other aspects of the trade. The international drug control strategy seeks to bolster source-country resources, capabilities, and political will to reduce cultivation, attack production, interdict drug shipments, and disrupt and dismantle trafficking organizations, including their command and control structure and financial underpinnings.

Drug Control Is a Continuous Challenge

The metaphor of a "war on drugs" is misleading. Although wars are expected to end, drug education — like all schooling — is a continuous process. The moment we believe ourselves victorious and drop our guard, drug abuse will resurface in the next generation. To reduce the demand for drugs, prevention must be ongoing. Addicted individuals should be held accountable for their actions and offered treatment to help change destructive behavior.

Cancer is a more appropriate metaphor for the nation's drug problem. Dealing with cancer is a long-term proposition. It requires the mobilization of support mechanisms — medical, educational, social, and financial — to check the spread of the disease and improve the patient's prognosis. Symptoms of the illness must be managed while the root cause is attacked. The key to reducing the incidence of drug abuse and cancer is prevention coupled with treatment and accompanied by research.

* A revised National Drug Control Strategy may, however, be submitted at any time upon a determination by the President, in consultation with the ONDCP Director, that the National Drug Control Strategy is not sufficiently effective or when a new President or ONDCP Director takes office.

** The goals and objectives are listed in an insert to this annual report.