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| Friends of Recovery - Vermont May 11, 2010 |
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Greetings!
Today, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy released the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, developed with input from a variety of Federal, State and local partners, including the input from Faces and Voices of Recovery, Executive Director, Pat Taylor.
Among the many important principles set forth in the strategy, emphasis on recovery, such as Access to Recovery (ATR) and Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC), are critically important to the work of recovery community organizations like Friends of Recovery- Vermont.
"To the Congress of the United States I am committed to restoring balance in our efforts to combat the drug problems that plague our communities. Drug use endangers the health and safety of every American, depletes financial and human resources, and deadens the spirit of many of our communities. While I am proud of the new direction described here, a well-crafted strategy is only as successful as its implementation. To succeed, we will need to rely on the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of every concerned American"
Barack Obama
The White House
Excerpt from CHAPTER 3: INTEGRATE TREATMENT fOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS INTO HEALTH CARE, AND EXPAND SUPPORT FOR RECOVERY C. Foster the Expansion of Community-Based Recovery Support Programs, Including Recovery Schools, Peer-Led Programs, Mutual Help Groups, and Recovery Support Centers [HHS/ SAMHSA, ED]
Recovery support programs provide less formal, more enduring support than the professional treatment system, which makes them highly appealing to people in recovery. A key example is recovery schools, which educate highschool and college students in an atmosphere that supports students'recovery. The Department of Education will make itself available for consultation to agencies and school districts that support recovery schools. SAMHSA will fund recovery support efforts through Access to Recovery (see section A, above) and through grants to develop local recovery-oriented systems of care. In addition, government funded clearinghouses, websites and help-lines will be encouraged to maintain updated lists of mutual help groups (e g , Narcotics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, Women for Sobriety) and to provide them as a potential resource to individuals seeking help for substance use disorders.
I welcome you to read the press release, highlights and full strategy below and visit the FOR-VT website to share your thoughts. Simply log in as a new user on our website and post a comment to share with the Vermont recovery community and our allies! Click Here
I look forward to hearing your comments!
Patty McCarthy
Director, FOR-VT |
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The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
President Obama Releases National Strategy To Reduce Drug Use and Its Consequences
New Balanced and Collaborative Approach Emphasizes Prevention, Treatment, Enforcement, International Cooperation
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama released the Administration's inaugural National Drug Control Strategy, which establishes five-year goals for reducing drug use and its consequences through a balanced policy of prevention, treatment, enforcement, and international cooperation. The Strategy was developed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) with input from a variety of Federal, State, and local partners.
"This Strategy calls for a balanced approach to confronting the complex challenge of drug use and its consequences," said President Obama. "By boosting community-based prevention, expanding treatment, strengthening law enforcement, and working collaboratively with our global partners, we will reduce drug use and the great damage it causes in our communities. I am confident that when we take the steps outlined in this Strategy, we will make our country stronger and our people healthier and safer."
The 2010 Strategy highlights a collaborative and balanced approach that emphasizes community-based prevention, integration of evidence-based treatment into the mainstream health care system, innovations in the criminal justice system to break the cycle of drug use and crime, and international partnerships to disrupt transnational drug trafficking organizations.
During a nationwide listening tour soliciting input for the development of the Strategy, National Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske met with police and medical professionals, drug treatment providers and people in recovery, elected officials, corrections officials, academics, parents groups, faith leaders, and others. Throughout the consultation process, significant themes emerged which connect the drug issue to major Administration policy priorities, including the economy, health care reform, youth development, public safety, military and veterans' issues, and foreign relations.
"In following President Obama's charge to seek a broad range of input in the Strategy, I gained a renewed appreciation of how deeply concerned Americans are about drug use," said Director Kerlikowske. "It touches virtually all of us, whether we know a family member, a friend, or a colleague who suffers from addiction or is in recovery, a police officer working to protect the community, or a parent striving to keep a child drug free," said Director Kerlikowske.
The 2010 Strategy establishes five-year goals to reduce drug use and its consequences, including:
· Reduce the rate of youth drug use by 15 percent;
· Decrease drug use among young adults by 10 percent;
· Reduce the number of chronic drug users by 15 percent;
· Reduce the incidence of drug-induced deaths by 15 percent; and
· Reduce the prevalence of drugged driving by 10 percent.
In addition, the Strategy outlines three significant drug challenges on which the Administration will specifically focus this year: prescription drug abuse, drugged driving, and preventing drug use. Prescription drug abuse is the Nation's fastest growing drug problem, driving significant increases of drug overdoses in recent years. Drugged driving poses threats to public safety, as evidenced by a recent roadside survey which found that one in six drivers on weekend nights tested positive for the presence of drugs. Preventing drug use before it starts is the best way to keep America's youth drug-free. In addressing each of these issues, the Strategy outlines a research-driven, evidence-based, and collaborative approach.
New Strategy elements also include a focus on making recovery possible for every American addicted to drugs through an expansion of community addiction centers and the development of new medications and evidence-based treatments for addiction. Continued support for law enforcement, the criminal justice system, disrupting domestic drug traffic and production, working with partners to reduce global drug trade, and innovative community-based programs, such as drug courts, play a critical role in reducing American drug use and its effects.
For more information about the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, watch a video message from R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, or visit www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov.
Read Highlights
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