-Caveat Lector- from - http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020212/hl_nm/drugs_3
Bush Says Plan Will Cut Illegal Drug Use by 10% Tue Feb 12, 1:43 PM ET By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday unveiled a new anti-drug strategy with a patriotic edge: Cutting use of illegal narcotics will dry up funding for terrorists. "Our fight against illegal drug use is a fight for our children's future, for struggling democracies and against terrorism," Bush said in a message to Congress that accompanied his 120-page strategy. Bush's strategy, which he was to unveil in an afternoon White House East Room appearance, has three key goals: stopping drug use before it starts; treating America's drug users; and disrupting the market. His policy seeks to reduce use of illegal drugs by 10% over two years and 25% over five years, both among young Americans aged 12 to 17 and adults. The drug problem has resisted multiple attempts by successive presidents to get it under control. Smugglers still find ways to bring ton after ton of marijuana, cocaine and heroin across the border, much of it produced in South America. And now law enforcement authorities are grappling with a powerful prescription pain reliever called OxyContin, an opiate derivative intended for cancer patients and others with severe pain that is increasingly being abused. As he did last year, Bush seemed to lay some of the blame for the stubbornness of the drug problem on the Democratic administration of his predecessor, former President Bill Clinton, an allegation hotly denied by Clinton loyalists. Bush said drug use among high school seniors dropped each year from 1985 to 1992, but that "in recent years we have lost ground." Clinton took office in 1993. NEW AWARENESS The attacks of Sept. 11 and subsequent push to punish those responsible gave Bush some ammunition to emphasize for his drug strategy: defeating terrorism. "The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 have created a new awareness of our domestic vulnerability and highlight the need for an examination of how we do business at our borders," Bush's report said. To crack down on Caribbean smuggling, the Bush government will attempt to increase maritime cooperation by employing "more agile interdiction packages" such as a ship, an armed helicopter and a pursuit boat to disrupt trafficking. As Afghanistan (news - web sites) is reconstructed, US objectives include ensuring that illegal drug income will "never again finance regional instability or the threat of international terrorism," the report said. Bush emphasized a desire to get treatment for drug users and proposed $3.8 billion for drug treatment for the 2003 budget, an increase of more than 6% over the current fiscal year. Bush proposed $2.3 billion for drug interdiction, up 10% over the current year, and will continue targeting the supply of illegal drugs in Latin America, requesting that the Andean Counterdrug Initiative be applied in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. "In homes, schools, places of worship, the workplace, and civil and social organizations, Americans must set norms that reaffirm the values of responsibility and good citizenship while dismissing the notion that drug use is consistent with individual freedom," the White House said. Bush's family has been hit by drug problems. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter Noelle, who is President Bush's niece, was arrested last month in Tallahassee on a charge of fraudulently trying to obtain a prescription anti-anxiety drug. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, was not encouraged, saying Bush's strategy appeared to be a continuation of "the failed policies of the last 30 years--devoting more resources to the bloated federal criminal justice system, while continuing to short-change treatment, education, and public health programs. "The record of failure in this area is not encouraging," he said. "President Bush's niece was just arrested for a drug violation. Her family checked her into treatment. America deserves a strategy that reflects this kind of compassion." <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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