ONDCP Blog

ONDCP and Department of Education Ask Universities to Join Efforts to Reduce Illegal Drug Use

Today, Director Kerlikowske and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan reached out to higher education institutions highlighting President Obama's 2011 National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy). The 2011 Strategy supports two of President Obama's goals for our Nation - reducing illegal drug use by ten percent within five years, and having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.  The detrimental consequences of substance use on academic performance are significant.  That is why the 2011 Strategy emphasizes the importance of responding to illegal drug use and high-risk drinking on college campuses, and the Department of Education's continued efforts to incorporate alcohol and other drug abuse prevention into higher education.

Given these goals, Director Kerlikowske and Secretary Duncan invite college and university leaders to join them along with other Federal agency partners to work collaboratively to prevent illegal drug use, and high-risk drinking in our Nation's college and university communities by ensuring the most effective prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery services are available to all students. 

The release of the Strategy reaffirms the commitment by ONDCP, Department of Education and other Federal agencies to address substance use in the college population today, and to collaboratively work together to achieve the President's goals. 

Read the letter.

David K. Mineta is Deputy Director of the Office of Demand Reduction

Reclaiming Futures: Improving Treatment for Youth Involved with the Juvenile Justice System

Our mantra at Reclaiming Futures sums up our goals for youth in the juvenile justice system: more treatment, better treatment, and beyond treatment.  

While not every young person who uses or abuses drugs and alcohol is addicted, we know that addiction is a disease that usually has its onset in adolescence, so intervening early is important. But the problem is particularly acute in the juvenile justice system, which refers nearly half of all teens who enter publicly-funded substance abuse treatment.  We also know that nearly one in five youth at the door of the juvenile justice system have diagnosable substance abuse disorders-- and that the percentage goes up, the deeper youth penetrate the system. Of youth in post-adjudication placements, 47%  have alcohol and drug disorders.  Furthermore, the groundbreaking Pathways to Desistance research on serious juvenile offenders found that substance use was strongly related to their continued criminal activity.

The good news is that substance abuse programs that involve an individual’s family in the intervention are one of the few things that reduced recidivism. That's why, in the communities we work with, we promote the expansion of treatment – more treatment – and the implementation of evidence-based screening and assessment tools, such as the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) – better treatment.  Many times, trauma or other unmet needs can be a contributing factor in a youth's negative behavior choices and need to be addressed.  But evidence-based practices aren't enough. Treatment isn't enough.

Probation isn't enough. Those services eventually come to an end, and then what?  Reclaiming Futures communities also go beyond treatment to focus on enhancing the positive community connections and support available to youth caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol, and crime, from formal mentors to positive activities with supportive adults to help youth enter and stay in recovery.  The Reclaiming Futures model has now been implemented in 29 communities nationwide, thanks in part to our federal partners, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). That sort of public/private partnership exemplifies the broad-based, public health approach the ONDCP has fostered, through the National Drug Control Strategy it created and administers. 

We're proud to be partners in implementing the National Drug Control Strategy, which takes a comprehensive, public-health approach that can only benefit youth in the justice system. Young people deserve no less.

Reclaiming Futuresis a national initiative launched by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2001, with the aim of improving alcohol and drug treatment for young people caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol, and crime. Local jurisdictions – led by a judge and a team of professionals, including representatives from juvenile  probation, treatment professionals, and community members – use our six-step model to reinvent the way police, courts, detention facilities, treatment providers, and the community work together.   

Susan Richardson is National Executive Director for Reclaiming Futures

A Dentist’s Path to Recovery

As a child, I watched my father battle with alcoholism and vowed that I would not follow the same path. However, the path of addiction presented itself during college in the form of alcohol and marijuana use on the weekends. In dental school, the pattern of social use and abuse continued. During my junior year of dental school a classmate introduced me to 5 mg Valium pills. Combined with a few beers, the Valium took the stress of attending dental school away and would continue to do so while running my private practice in a small rural community.

While continuing to practice and abuse drugs, I attended a continuing education course and learned alcoholism and drug addiction were diseases. Additionally, I discovered there are resources to help dentists with addictions get the help they need.

However, I placed this information aside and continued down the addiction path until it got to the point that I needed help. I remembered what I had learned at the continuing education course. I began working with a dentist who was in recovery. He enabled me to choose a different path…a path into recovery.

Part of my recovery involves assisting other dentists and dental team members in the same way someone helped me. It’s important for dental team members to know that help is available and that adequate treatment does work and as a result dentists’ personal and professional lives are restored.

This post is part of the Recovery Month series. Visit RecoveryMonth.gov for information on Recovery Month or use the online locator to find treatment services near you.

Drexel University Chooses a Comprehensive Approach to Reducing Student Drug Use

At Drexel University we have made an intentional choice to address the issue of underage, illegal, and high-risk drinking and drug use.  We are fortunate to have the support of the entire university community in making this commitment, including that of our new President John A. Fry.  As Drexel’s alcohol and other drug (AOD) point person, I count my blessings for his support and leadership because, as we know, the support of senior leadership is critical to effectively implement change around this issue.

Strong leadership support is critical, but that is not enough.  We need to address this issue from multiple angles.  At Drexel, we have chosen to do what many of our colleagues across the country are doing - build on evidence-based strategies and implement a compressive approach.  Some key elements of our approach include: campus climate assessments to “know your institution”; campus-wide assessments of student behavior; brief interventions; mandated and voluntary counseling; and partnering with student groups, peer educators and campus partners to deliver programs for students.  These activities also involve specifically indicated populations, outreach to parents and families, campus specific research, ongoing assessment and evaluation of programs and services, and collaboration with community and national partners.

These are just a few of the key elements we have chosen for our compressive strategy.  By understanding your institution and its environment, knowing your students and their behaviors, collaborating with your partners, investigating the problem and how to address it, and choosing to explore the multifaceted issue of underage, illegal, and high-risk drinking and drugging, we can work to keep our students healthy.  None of this can be accomplished without university partners. I appreciate the support of the university communities in these efforts and encourage my peers to continue working collaboratively to address the issue of underage drinking and illicit drug use. To my peers I say: “Good luck with your programming journey and I hope our collective efforts will aid our students in choosing healthy options in challenging, everyday situations.”

For more information, visit the Drexel blog.

John Watson, MS, NCC is Director of Alcohol, Other Drug, and Health Education and Assistant Director of Counseling