[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11606]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               2014 NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY--PM 49

  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 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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