[House Document 113-129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 113-129
 
2014 NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THEPRESIDENTOFTHEUNITEDSTATES

                              transmitting

 THE ADMINISTRATION'S 2014 NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY, PURSUANT TO 
                             21 U.S.C. 1504

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    July 10, 2014.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
 Committees on the Judiciary, Agriculture, Armed Services, Energy and 
Commerce, Financial Services, Oversight and Government Reform, Foreign 
 Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, Veterans' 
    Affairs, Homeland Security, Natural Resources, and Intelligence 
              (Permanent Select) and ordered to be printed
To the Congress of the United States:
    I am pleased to transmit the 2014 National Drug Control 
Strategy, a 21st century approach to drug policy that is built 
on decades of research demonstrating that addiction is a 
disease of the brain--one that can be prevented, treated, and 
from which people can recover. The pages that follow lay out an 
evidence-based plan for real drug policy reform, spanning the 
spectrum of effective prevention, early intervention, 
treatment, recovery support, criminal justice, law enforcement, 
and international cooperation.
    Illicit drug use and its consequences challenge our shared 
dream of building for our children a country that is healthier, 
safer, and more prosperous. Illicit drug use is associated with 
addiction, disease, and lower academic performance among our 
young people. It contributes to crime, injury, and serious 
dangers on the Nation's roadways. And drug use and its 
consequences jeopardize the progress we have made in 
strengthening our economy--contributing to unemployment, 
impeding re-employment, and costing our economy billions of 
dollars in lost productivity.
    These facts, combined with the latest research about 
addiction as a disease of the brain, helped shape the approach 
laid out in my Administration's first National Drug Control 
Strategy--and they continue to guide our efforts to reform drug 
policy in a way that is more efficient, effective, and 
equitable. Through the Affordable Care Act, millions of 
Americans will be able to obtain health insurance, including 
coverage for substance use disorder treatment services. We have 
worked to reform our criminal justice system, addressing unfair 
sentencing disparities, providing alternatives to incarceration 
for nonviolent, substance-involved offenders, and improving 
prevention and re-entry programs to protect public safety and 
improve outcomes for people returning to communities from 
prisons and jails. And we have built stronger partnerships with 
our international allies, working with them in a global effort 
against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, 
while also assisting them in their efforts to address substance 
use disorders and related public health problems.
    This progress gives us good reason to move forward with 
confidence. However, we cannot effectively build on this 
progress without collaboration across all sectors of our 
society. I look forward to joining with community coalitions, 
faith-based groups, tribal communities, health care providers, 
law enforcement agencies, state and local governments, and our 
international partners to continue this important work in 2014. 
And I thank the Congress for its continued support of our 
efforts to build a healthier, safer, and more prosperous 
country.

                                                      Barack Obama.
    The White House, July 9, 2014. 

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