Our Record of Reform

• Fair Sentencing Act. In August of 2010, the President signed the Fair Sentencing Act into law.  This significant piece of drug policy reform dramatically reduced a 100-to-1 mandatory minimum sentencing disparity between powder and crack cocaine and eliminated the mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack cocaine.  It also increases penalties for major drug traffickers.

• Historic focus on recovery. In October of 2009, the Administration established the first-ever Recovery branch at the Office of National Drug Control Policy to support the 23.5 million Americans in recovery by eliminating barriers to recovery and lifting the stigma associated with drug addiction.

• Affordable Care Act. In March of 2010, the President signed the Affordable Care Act into law.  The new law takes a public health approach to treating substance use disorders by requiring insurers to cover treatment for substance use disorders the same way they would other chronic diseases starting in 2014.

• Emphasis on prevention. In June of 2011, the Administration released the first-ever National Prevention Strategy, which recognizes drug prevention as a part of overall wellness.

• Funding teen prevention programs. The Administration has provided more than $370 million in funding to over 700 local community coalitions to prevent drug use among teens through the Drug Free Communities program.

• Prescription drug abuse prevention. In response to a prescription drug abuse problem designated as an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ONDCP led the development of the Administration’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan, focusing on education, monitoring, proper disposal, and enforcement.

• Drug Disposal Act. In October of 2010, the President signed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 into law.  The law will help communities combat the Nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic by making easier to properly dispose of expired, unused, or unneeded prescription drugs.

• Southwest border deployment. Since March of 2009, the Administration has deployed more personnel, infrastructure, and technology along the Southwest border to combat illegal cross border activity than in any other time in U.S. history.