The
President's Message
TO
THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
On
behalf of the American people, I am pleased to submit to Congress
the 2000 Annual Report of the National Drug Control Strategy.
This report documents our progress, details our plans for the future,
and summarizes our implementation of the Nation's 10-year counter-drug
strategy.
I
am grateful to the Congress for the bipartisan partnership we have
forged on this difficult and important issue. Common commitment
has been vital to our success, and we can all be proud of our achievements
at home and abroad. The 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
found that youth drug use declined 13 percent between 1997 and 1998.
The 1999 Partnership Attitude Tracking Survey and 1999 Monitoring
the Future Survey tell us that youth attitudes about drugs are changing.
Adolescents increasingly disapprove of illegal drugs. An ever-growing
number of young people are now using positive peer pressure to help
friends stay drug-free. Our children get the message: "In America
today you have a bright, drug-free future. Don't waste it with drugs."
We
have made similar progress combating illegal drug organizations
that traffic in these deadly poisons. We have cut drug-related murders
to their lowest point in over a decade. We are reducing the supply
of drugs on world markets. In Latin America, Bolivia reduced coca
cultivation by 55 percent since 1995 and in Peru cultivation declined
66 percent over the same period. Bipartisan efforts to confront
this threat are paying real dividends to the American people.
But
we cannot rest on our success. Drugs continue to exact a tremendous
toll on this country and internationally. Studies report an increase
in steroid and MDMA (ecstasy) use among youth. One in four inmates
in State prison and more than 60 percent of Federal inmates are
drug offenders. Cocaine and heroin production have skyrocketed in
Colombia.
The
2000 Annual Report illustrates where we need to focus our energies
and the initiatives needed to address the most pressing problems:
- We need
to empower America's young people to reject illegal drugs.
- We need
to break the cycle of drugs and crime by dramatically increasing
drug treatment programs within the criminal justice system.
These programs have been proven to reduce drug use and cut recidivism
by up to 44 percent.
- We need
to close the gap between the number of people who have serious
drug abuse problems and the treatment slots available on demand.
If drug-dependent individuals want to become drug-free, they
deserve our help.
- We must
strengthen efforts to stop the flow of drugs into the United
States across our southwest border and other points of entry.
Through new technologies and better coordination, we can speed-up
the flow of legitimate goods and services while turning off
the tap for drugs.
- We must
help committed democracies resist the transnational threat posed
by illegal drugs and the criminal organizations that traffic
in them.
These
vital initiatives are key elements in our broad-based, balanced
approach to combating drug abuse.
Working
together, the Congress and the Administration, teachers, coaches,
clergy, researchers, mentors, health-care professionals, community
activists, and others have made great progress in reducing drug
abuse. By doing so, we have safeguarded the dreams of our children.
We have increased the sense of security American families feel in
their homes, streets, and communities. We have helped the international
community combat a threat that respects no borders. We have much
to be proud of, but we have much more to do. I look forward to working
closely with the Congress in this effort.
The
White House
