WASHINGTON, May 11 (UPI) -- A new strategy to reduce drug use uses a balance of prevention, treatment, enforcement and international cooperation, U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday.
The National Drug Control Strategy "calls for a balanced approach to confronting the complex challenge of drug use and its consequences," Obama said when unveiling the initiative. "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."
The strategy was developed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy with input from federal, state and local partners, the White House said in a release.
The five-year goals include:
-- 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 incidents of drug-induced deaths by 15 percent.
-- Reduce the frequency of drugged driving by 10 percent.
The strategy also outlined three drug challenges -- prescription drug abuse, drugged driving and drug use prevention -- will merit specific focus this year, the White House said.
The strategy also include a focus on making recovery available for all people addicted to drugs by expanding community addiction centers and the development of new medications and evidence-based treatments for addiction, the White House said.
