II. The 1998 National Drug Control Strategy

A. Highlights of the Strategy

The 1998 Strategy focuses on expanding programs that work and building on these examples with targeted new initiatives designed to attack the problem of drug use at its heart. Highlights of this comprehensive, balanced, ten-year plan include:

A Ten-Year Strategy to Reduce Drug Use and its Consequences by Half

• First-ever, comprehensive ten-year plan to reduce drug use and its consequences by half.

• This ten-year plan is backed by a five-year budget, and performance measures to improve accountability and efficacy.

• Supported by the largest counter-drug budget ever presented: $17 billion.

• Dynamic and comprehensive: focuses on results not programs; each element supports all the other initiatives.

Protecting America's Kids

• The Strategy's first goal is educate kids to enable them to reject drugs.

• This Strategy builds on programs that work and launches new initiatives:

  National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign -- which will "go national" in June.

  School Drug-Prevention Coordinators Initiative -- providing prevention professionals to 6,500 schools nationwide.

  President's Youth Tobacco Initiative -- preventing a gateway behavior to drug use.

  The Civic Alliance -- helping 33 national civic and service groups, representing 55 million people, to fight youth drug use.

  Youth Drug Research -- expanding understanding of youth drug use and addiction.

• Largest percentage budget increases -- 15% or $256 million -- for youth programs.

Strengthening Communities and Workplaces

• Launches the Drug-Free Communities Program, which will strengthen the existing 4,000 community-based anti-drug coalitions, and build 10,00 new coalitions, across the nation.

• Works with 22 million small businesses to initiate drug-free workplaces.

Reinforcing Our Borders

• Launches a $105 million Port and Border Security Initiative.

• Puts 1,000 new Border Patrol agents, and increases barriers along the Southwest Border.

• Deploys new technologies, such as advanced X-rays and remote video surveillance, along the Southwest Border -- including $41 million for nonintrusive inspection technologies.

• Strengthens oversight over federal Southwest Border drug control efforts.

Strengthening Law Enforcement

• Focuses on full implementation of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.

• Expands DEA's counter-heroin initiative: $12.9 million and 95 new agents.

• Expands anti-methamphetamine initiative: $24.5 million including 100 new DEA agents.

• Expands DEA's Caribbean Corridor Initiative: $9.8 million and 56 new agents.

Breaking the Cycle of Drugs and Crime

• Provides treatment to nonviolent first-time offenders in the criminal justice system to free them from the addictions that drive their actions -- punishment alone cannot diminish drug-related crime; it is necessary to break the cycle of drugs, crime and prisons.

• Provides $85 million in funding and other support to help state and local governments implement drug testing, treatment, and graduated sanctions for drug offenders.

Reducing the Supply of Drugs and Enhancing Multinational Cooperation

• In 1997, Andean cocaine production dropped by as much as 100 tons over the prior year.

• Despite this overall progress, Colombian coca production is up 56 percent over the last two years, with much of the expanded capacity occurring in guerilla or paramilitary held territories.

• The Strategy adds $75.4 million in Department of Defense support to US, Andean, Caribbean and Mexican interdiction efforts.

• Includes an added $45 million to support Andean nation counter-drug efforts, including interdiction, crop replacement, and support to law enforcement.

• Continues to build multinational cooperation against drugs, focusing on US-Mexico bilateral efforts, the Caribbean Initiative, and the upcoming Santiago Summit and UN General Assembly Special Session.

Closing the Treatment Gap

• The number of people who require drug treatment but who are not in treatment -- the "gap" -- is estimated at 1.7 million.

• Provides an added $200 million in Substance Abuse Block Grants to States to assist in closing the gap, increasing the total funding to $1.5 billion.

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