Obama Administration releases new National Drug Control Strategy

President Obama released the Administration's inaugural National Drug Control Strategy, which establishes five-year goals for reducing drug use and its consequences through a balanced policy of prevention, treatment, enforcement and international cooperation.

The strategy was developed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) with input from a variety of federal, state and local partners. Goals include:

• Reduce the rate of youth drug use by 15 percent;
• Decrease drug use among young adults by 10 percent;
• Reduce the number of chronic drug users by 15 percent;
• Reduce the incidence of drug-induced deaths by 15 percent; and
• Reduce the prevalence of drugged driving by 10 percent.

The strategy also outlined three significant drug challenges the Administration will specifically focus this year: prescription drug abuse, drugged driving and preventing drug use.

New strategy elements also included a focus on making recovery possible for every American addicted to drugs through an expansion of community addiction centers and the development of new medications and evidence-based treatments for addiction, the administration stated in a release.

"This strategy calls for a balanced approach to confronting the complex challenge of drug use and its consequences," said President Obama. "By boosting community-based prevention, expanding treatment, strengthening law enforcement, and working collaboratively with our global partners, we will reduce drug use and the great damage it causes in our communities."