May 15, 2005
Drug abuse
Established in 1988 to oversee all aspects of America’s war on drugs and to coordinate U.S. domestic and international anti-drug efforts, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has morphed into a federal wasteland, throwing taxpayer money toward numerous high-priced drug control programs that have failed to show results. After 17 years of operation and funding, ONDCP has not achieved its objectives of reducing “illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences.”
Instead of curbing America’s drug problem, ONDCP has wasted $4.2 billion since fiscal 1997 on media advertising, fighting state legislation, and deficient anti-drug trafficking programs. ONDCP’s fiscal 2005 budget of $507 million will fund such diverse functions as local law enforcement, cracking down on medical marijuana use, drug research and treatment, and the eradication of coca crops in Latin America.
…One of ONDCP’s cornerstone programs, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, has been an utter failure. The five-year effort has wasted $2 billion on propaganda with no measurable results. The project was initially created “to educate and enable youth to reject illegal drugs, especially marijuana and inhalants,” but has been unsuccessful in reducing drug use amongst America’s youth.
…Although the percentage of teenagers using marijuana is down, the 2004 results show a slight increase of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders using hard drugs, including inhalants, cocaine and heroin. Also, according to the latest survey, more 8th graders see a greater risk in smoking marijuana occasionally than in taking LSD regularly, taking ecstasy occasionally, trying crack cocaine, or drinking nearly every day. Since 1998, more and more 8th graders believe any marijuana use is a great risk, yet fewer 8th graders believe there is great risk in using inhalants or LSD regularly, suggesting that the campaign may actually be steering kids toward the most dangerous drugs.
More at Drug WarRant. Plus you can watch your tax dollars get smoked here.
Posted by Stephen at 12:11 AM in Drugs | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
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