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Continued Decline in Youth Substance Abuse

Current illicit drug use among teens is continuing to decline, according to a new report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released today. The study also shows positive signs that teens are seeing the dangers of abusing prescription drugs and methamphetamine and are pushing back. Among youth ages 12-17, the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the Nation's largest substance use survey, shows that the significant decline in overall past month illicit drug use that began in 2002 continued through 2007, from 11.6 percent to 9.5 percent.

The survey, released at the start of the 19th Annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, shows that the reductions in youth drug use occurred for nearly every type of illicit drug including marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, LSD, and Ecstasy. The survey also shows dramatic declines in meth use, down by 67 percent (from 0.3% to 0.1%) and prescription drug abuse among teens, which declined overall by 18 percent, from 4 percent to 3.3 percent between 2002-2007.

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Watching the New Drug Czar

Columns - Policy

Sunday, 31 March 2002

We haven't heard much about federal drug policy since President George W. Bush was sworn in office. During the campaign, Bush pledged to increase federal spending for treatment and to make demand reduction a priority of his administration. But his first act, nominating John Walters as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in April 2001, seemed a contradiction of his campaign promises. Walters, who served as deputy director for supply reduction under Drug Czar William Bennett during the first Bush administration, is known as a hardliner on drug policy. During his government service (1989-1992), he advocated substantial increases in enforcement spending and publicly expressed skepticism about treatment. And in subsequent years, Walters has maintained these views in numerous publications and speeches.

Walters' nomination as Drug Czar immediately raised a storm of protest from professionals in the drug field as well as Senators and Congressmen, who described him as a "classic drug warrior." His Senate hearings, which were postponed for months, finally came before the Senate Judiciary Committee in early November. Walters was subjected to unusually tough questioning, led by Senator Joseph Biden (D.-Del), the Committee Chair. Most of the Senators' questions concentrated on Walters' views about treatment as a primary policy response to substance abuse.

Walters testified that during his earlier tenure as Deputy Drug Czar, he had directed a new drug strategy that targeted more resources for treatment than any administration before or after. This assertion, however, is not born out by the facts. Although treatment funding did increase during the first Bush Administration from FY 1989 to FY 1993, when Walters was at ONDCP, subsequent funding under the two Clinton Administrations showed substantially greater increases.

Moreover, the percentage of total federal drug control spending for treatment remained essentially the same, slightly less than one-third of the total budget. Chairman Biden expressed skepticism about Walters' embrace of treatment, describing it as a "confirmation conversion." Although the Committee reported out Walters' nomination, five Democratic Senators voted against him: Chairman Biden, Senator Ted Kennedy (D.-Mass.); Senator Patrick Leahy (D.-Vt.), Senator Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.) and Senator Richard Durbin (D.-Ill.) On December 5, the Senate approved the nomination by voice vote.

What will Walters actually do now that he has been confirmed? Because of the widespread concerns about Walters' past performance, the Senate Judiciary Committee subjected him to intense questioning, including written questions and answers on the record.

It is unusual to have such extensive documentation in advance of the views of a Presidential appointee. We can watch what he does and how that matches up with what he has said. This gives all those in the addictions field the opportunity to hold Walters accountable. If he does not measure up, the Senate Judiciary Committee will readily take him to task.

But Walters also deserves the benefit of the doubt. He has worked in this field for several decades and has a distinguished record of public service. His views may have evolved in the light of his experiences as well as from a decade of extensive research on prevention and treatment.

One key test will be federal drug spending: how much of the $18 billion annual budget will go to law enforcement and interdiction and how much will go to prevention, treatment, research and education? For the past twenty years, enforcement has absorbed two-thirds of federal drug spending. Under Walter's leadership, will these decisions be driven by research?

During the hearings, Chairman Biden asked Walters, "In what areas would you use science to guide your decisions?" Walters responded that "... scientific and empirical analysis can and should be applied to all aspects of drug control policy from prevention and treatment to law enforcement, national security, and research programs."

When Walters met with the Senate Judiciary Committee in the late fall of 2001, he mentioned increasing federal funding for drug treatment by $1.6 billion over five years. How accurate is that figure?

The current reality is that 4.6 percent of the total drug budget goes to prevention and treatment research compared to only .6 percent for law enforcement research. In a report from March 2001 entitled "Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs," the National Academy of Sciences concluded that "neither the data systems nor the research infrastructure needed to assess the effectiveness of drug enforcement policies now exists ... It is unconscionable for this country to continue to carry out a public policy of this magnitude and cost without any way of knowing whether and to what extent it is having the desired effect."

In short, we are spending a phenomenal sum of more than $12 billion a year for enforcement and interdiction without any scientific evaluation data. We certainly cannot afford to continue to invest our tax dollars in programs that may not be producing results. At Walters' swearing-in ceremony, he promised to develop "an effective and comprehensive drug control policy."

As many know, actions frequently speak much louder than words. Therefore, we can measure that commitment by watching how he allocates resources, or in other words, follow the money!

Mathea Falco, an attorney, is president of Drug Strategies. She served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotic Matters from 1977-1981