[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18255-18256]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

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               2015 NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY--PM 32

  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 2015 National Drug Control Strategy, my 
Administration's 21st century approach to drug policy that works to 
reduce illicit drug use and its consequences in the United States. This 
evidence-based plan, which balances public health and public safety 
efforts to prevent, treat, and provide recovery from the disease of 
addiction, seeks to build a healthier, safer, and more prosperous 
country.
  Since the release of my Administration's inaugural National Drug 
Control Strategy in 2010, we have seen significant progress in 
addressing challenges we face along the entire spectrum of drug 
policy--including prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery 
support, criminal justice reform, law enforcement, and international 
cooperation. However, we still face serious drug-related challenges. 
Illicit drug use is a public health issue that jeopardizes not only our 
well-being, but also the progress we have made in strengthening our 
economy--contributing to addiction, disease, lower student academic 
performance, crime, unemployment, and lost productivity.
  Therefore, we continue to pursue a drug policy that is effective, 
compassionate, and just. We are working to erase the stigma of 
addiction, ensuring

[[Page 18256]]

treatment and a path to recovery for those with substance use 
disorders. We continue to research the health risks of drug use to 
encourage healthy behaviors, particularly among young people. We are 
reforming our criminal justice system, providing alternatives to 
incarceration for non-violent, substance-involved offenders, improving 
re-entry programs, and addressing unfair sentencing disparities. We 
continue to devote significant law enforcement resources to reduce the 
supply of drugs via sea, air, and land interdiction, and law 
enforcement operations and investigations. We also continue to partner 
with our international allies, helping them address transnational 
organized crime, while addressing substance use disorders and other 
public health issues.
  I thank the Congress for its continued support of our efforts. I look 
forward to joining with them and all our local, State, tribal, national 
and international partners to advance this important undertaking.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, November 17, 2015.

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