Obama Administration Requests Over $10 Billion for Demand Reduction Programs to Reduce Drug Consumption in the United States

Fiscal Year 2012 Request Includes Significant Increases in Funding for Drug Education and Treatment Programs

Washington, D.C. – Today, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, highlighted major resources for drug control programs and initiatives the Obama Administration has requested from Congress for Fiscal Year 2012 to support efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences in the United States.

The President’s Budget, released last month, dedicates over $10 billion in Federal funds for reducing drug consumption in the United States. This includes nearly $9.0 billion treatment services for American substance abusers – an increase of $98.7 million over FY 2010 and $1.7 billion for drug education and outreach programs aimed at preventing the initiation of drug use. This represents an increase of $123.0 million over the FY 2010 enacted level.

“Drug use in America drives crime, violence, addiction, and instability throughout our Nation and our hemisphere,” said Kerlikowske. “As a major drug consumption Nation, we recognize that we have a responsibility to drive down our demand for drugs here at home to ensure the health and safety of our citizens and to support the brave efforts of President Calderon and our foreign partners in their courageous efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations.”

The Obama Administration’s National Drug Control Budget supports funding for a variety of drug demand reduction programs that will expand upon on existing efforts to reduce drug consumption in the United States. Included in the Budget request are resources for the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Education (DOE) to support education and outreach programs aimed at preventing the initiation of drug use and grants to assist state and local educational agencies to develop and implement programs and services designed to prevent youth drug use and violence. Resources will also support the continued development of a national, community-based prevention system to protect adolescents, and support over 700 community drug-free coalitions currently operating throughout the United States.

These resources will also support increased support for the expansion of treatment services for those with the disease of addiction. The President’s request will allow HHS, Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Justice work to train and engage primary healthcare professionals to intervene in emerging cases of drug abuse, expand and improve specialty addiction care for addiction, and develop models to manage drug-related offenders in community corrections.

Despite some increases in drug use over the past year, the overall demand for drugs in the United States has dropped dramatically over the past three decades. In response to comprehensive efforts to address drug use at the local, state, Federal, and international levels, the number of Americans using illicit drugs today is roughly half the rate it was in the late 70’s. More recently, there has been a 46 percent drop in cocaine use among young adults over the past five years and a 65 percent drop in the rate of people testing positive for cocaine in the workplace since 2006. In Colombia – the source of the vast majority of U.S.-bound cocaine – the amount of the drug produced over the past decade has also plummeted by almost two-thirds, significantly adding stress to the domestic U.S. drug market.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is restoring balance to drug our Nation’s control efforts and coordinating a government-wide public health approach to reduce drug use and its consequences in the United States. For more information, including ONDCP’s restructuring of the Budget to provide more accurate and transparent accounting of drug control programs, visit www.WhiteHouseDrugPolicy.gov