(Washington, D.C.) - During his March 1st national radio address, President George W. Bush released his 2008 National Drug Control Strategy.  The Strategy outlines progress made in reducing both the supply and demand of illicit drugs, and highlights the serious challenges that remain for Texas, and the United States.

With the release of his first National Drug Control Strategy in 2002, the President set the ambitious goal of cutting drug use among young people by 25 percent over five years.  Through a balanced approach that emphasized community-based prevention, education, and treatment, as well as enhanced law enforcement and international cooperation, youth drug use has declined 24 percent since 2001 – 860,000 fewer young people using drugs today than six years ago.  In addition, teen marijuana use is down 25 percent, Ecstasy use has dropped by more than half, and youth use of methamphetamine has plummeted 64 percent.

John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy and President Bush’s “Drug Czar” said, “Teen drug abuse is down sharply, and this will provide lasting benefits to our Nation, since we know that most adults who get caught in addiction begin with use as teens. But there are still too many of our friends, our family members, our coworkers, and our neighbors who are becoming lost in the maze of addiction. We need to find whatever ways we can - in one’s home, school, job, or community - to create a turning point in their lives – a turning point that leads to recovery.”

San Antonio Fighting Back, Inc. has aggressively worked to reduce youth alcohol and substance abuse for over 15 years.  In that time, through our Drug Free Communities and Weed & Seed collaborations with local law enforcement, neighborhoods associations, and local businesses we have seen the difference that prevention education and awareness makes in our communities. 

“Collaborative initiatives is a way for the community to come together to address crime and provide economic development, said SAFB Executive Vice President Linda Tippins, “It’s like a shot in the arm, a vaccination if you will, that will allow additional resources to be channeled into our communities that can begin to heal the disease of addiction and crime that plagues our city.”

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) support program is a collaborative Federal program sponsored by ONDCP, and administered in partnership with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  The program aims to establish and strengthen communities, private nonprofit agencies, and Federal, State, local and Tribal governments and entities to support community-based efforts to prevent, reduce, and eliminate substance abuse.  The DFC program was created in 1997 under the Drug Free Communities Act, and was reauthorized in 2001, and again in 2006.  The latest reauthorization extends the DFC program for an additional five years, until 2012.

To hear the President’s radio address releasing the 2008 National Drug Control Strategy, please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov.