Prescription-Drug Abuse Is Focus of U.S. Drug-Control Strategy
The Obama administration will focus on curbing rates of drug abuse, particularly of prescription medications, among high-risk groups such as veterans and college students, the Office of National Drug Control Policy director said.
The 2011 National Drug Control Strategy will expand its reach from last year’s report, while remaining focused on the ideas of prevention and treatment, director Gil Kerlikowske said.
“Treatment is about half the cost of incarceration,” Kerlikowske said in a telephone interview, “so we think that in many ways, that makes a lot of sense.”
Active-duty military and veterans, college students, and women and their dependent children will all be targeted in the updated strategy report released today. According to a fact sheet accompanying the report, cocaine abuse has fallen 46 percent over the last five years among young adults aged 18 to 25. Prescription drug abuse hasn’t seen the same decline, Kerlikowske said.
“We’re seeing more initiation for drug use by young people through the medicine cabinet than through marijuana,” he said, adding that binge drinking is another pervasive problem for people in this age group.
About 375,000 veterans were diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder in 2007, the fact sheet said. The 2011 strategy will encourage support for special courts designed for veterans with mental illness and substance issues, of which there are 60 nationwide, Kerlikowske said.
Family-Based Treatment
The administration’s latest plans will also include family- based treatment as an effective way of dealing with substance abuse among women. Women are being treated less frequently than men, a problem Kerlikowske attributed to their fear of being separated from their children either during treatment or permanently.
The federal budget allocates about $26 billion toward drug abuse matters, with about half going to enforcement and half to prevention and treatment, Kerlikowske said. Funding for next year’s drug control strategy is subject to change as budget discussions continue.
To contact the reporter on this story: Victoria Pelham in Washington at vpelham@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
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