[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4748]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               2008 NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY--PM 42

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

To the Congress of the United States:
  I am pleased to transmit the 2008 National Drug Control Strategy, 
consistent with the provisions of section 201 of the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006.
  My Administration published its first National Drug Control Strategy 
in 2002, inspired by a great moral imperative: we must reduce illegal 
drug use because, over time, drugs rob men, women, and children of 
their dignity and of their character. Thanks to bipartisan support in 
the Congress; the work of Federal, State, local, and tribal officials; 
and the efforts of ordinary citizens, 6 years later fewer Americans 
know the sorrow of addiction.
  We have learned much about the nature of drug use and drug markets, 
and have demonstrated what can be achieved with a balanced strategy 
that puts resources where they are needed most. Prevention programs are 
reaching Americans in their communities, schools, workplaces, and 
through the media, contributing to a 24 percent decline in youth drug 
use since 2001. Today, approximately 860,000 fewer young people are 
using drugs than in 2001. We have expanded access to treatment in 
public health settings, the criminal justice system, and in sectors of 
society where resources are limited. The Access to Recovery program 
alone has extended treatment services to an additional 190,000 
Americans, exceeding its 3-year goal by over 50 percent. We have seized 
unprecedented amounts of illegal drugs and have denied drug traffickers 
and terrorists the profits they need to conduct their deadly work. 
During the first three quarters of 2007 we saw significant disruptions 
in the cocaine and methamphetamine markets, with prices rising by 44 
percent and 73 percent, and purities falling by 15 percent and 31 
percent, respectively.
  These results do not mean that our work is done. Rather, they provide 
a charter for future efforts. By pursuing a balanced strategy that 
addresses the epidemiology of drug use and the economics of drug 
availability, we can further reduce drug use in America.
  I thank the Congress for its support and ask that it continue this 
noble work on behalf of the American people.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, March 3, 2008.

                          ____________________