President's National Drug Control Strategy Includes Key Role for SAMHSA

The Bush Administration's 2004 National Drug Control Strategy calls for a new focus on reducing the illegal diversion and non-medical use of prescription drugs in the United States while continuing the emphasis articulated 2 years ago on using a balanced approach to reducing drug use through treatment, prevention, and enforcement.

Recent data confirm the wisdom of this approach. Results from the most recent survey show an 11-percent drop in the use of drugs among youth between 2001 and 2003—exceeding the President's goal of 10 percent.

The National Drug Control Strategy has three national priorities: stopping use before it starts, healing America's drug users, and disrupting the market. SAMHSA plays a key role in achieving the first two.

SAMHSA will continue to support the National Drug Control Strategy by maintaining state substance abuse treatment systems through its Substance Abuse Block Grant and identifying and responding to new and emerging trends in drug use through the Targeted Capacity Expansion program. SAMHSA also tracks progress on the Strategy's goals through its National Survey on Drug Use and Health, formerly called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

To address the abuse of prescription medications, SAMHSA will continue to work with the Food and Drug Administration on a collaborative public education effort. Products so far have included posters, brochures, and print advertisements related to the dangers of abusing prescription pain relievers.

In addition, SAMHSA is launching two major efforts in support of the National Drug Control Strategy.

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Healing America's Drug Users

Announced by President Bush in his 2003 State of the Union Address, Access to Recovery provides people seeking drug and alcohol treatment with vouchers to pay for a range of effective substance abuse clinical treatment and recovery support services. In obtaining services, people will have access to faith- and community-based programs.

"Access to Recovery is based on the knowledge that there are many pathways to recovery from addiction," says SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W. "The promise of this initiative—founded on a belief in individual choice—is that it ensures the availability of a full range of treatment options, including the transforming power of faith. Making these choices available to people who want and need them will provide opportunities for meaningful, contributing lives in their communities."

Funded by Congress at $100 million in Fiscal Year 2004, Access to Recovery promotes consumer choice, improved outcomes, and increased treatment capacity. The President's 2005 budget request for SAMHSA proposes to double Access to Recovery's appropriation. (See SAMHSA News, March/April 2004.)

Funds will be awarded to states, territories, the District of Columbia, and tribal organizations through a competitive grant process. Applicants have considerable flexibility in designing their approach and may target efforts to areas of greatest need, to areas with a high degree of readiness, or to specific populations such as adolescents. The funds are required to supplement, not supplant, current funding and build on existing programs, thus expanding both capacity and available services.

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Stopping Use Before It Starts

The President's Fiscal Year 2005 budget proposal includes $196 million to support SAMHSA's new Strategic Prevention Framework. This effort is an approach to prevention and early intervention that is built on accountability, capacity, and effectiveness at the Federal, state, and local levels. The Strategic Prevention Framework uses a step-by-step process known to promote youth development, reduce risk-taking behaviors, build on assets, and prevent problem behaviors in all areas of a person's life—at home, at school, and in the community.

SAMHSA has begun to use the Framework in its everyday activities in programs within the Agency. In Fiscal Year 2005, the Framework will focus on promoting the replication of effective programs at the community level, with an emphasis on preventing underage drinking.

More information about the President's National Drug Control Strategy is available at www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/
ndcs04/index.html.

For more information about SAMHSA's Access to Recovery program and the Strategic Prevention Framework, visit SAMHSA's Web site at www.samhsa.gov.

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