    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [March 3, 1998]
    [Pages 320-321]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Congress Transmitting the 1998 National Drug Control
    Strategy
    March 3, 1998

    To the Congress of the United States:
        On behalf of the American people, I am pleased to transmit the 1998
    National Drug Control Strategy to the Congress. The 1998 Strategy
    reaffirms our bipartisan, enduring commitment to reduce drug use and its
    destructive consequences.
        This year's Strategy builds upon the 1997 Strategy and is designed
    to reduce drug use and availability in America in half over the next 10
    years--a historic new low. This plan has been developed under the
    leadership of General Barry McCaffrey,
    Director of National Drug Control Policy, in close consultation with the
    Congress, the more than 50 Federal agencies and departments involved in
    the fight against drugs, the dedicated men and women of law enforcement,
    and with stakeholders--mayors, doctors, clergy, civic leaders, parents,
    and young people--drawn from all segments of our society.
        I am also proud to report that we have made real and substantial
    progress in carrying out the goals of the 1997 Strategy. Working with
    the Congress, we have begun the National Anti-Drug Youth Media Campaign.
    Now when our children turn on the television, surf the ``net,'' or
    listen to the radio, they can learn the plain truth about drugs: they
    are wrong, they put your future at risk, and they can kill you. I thank
    you for your vital support in bringing this important message to
    America's young people.

    [[Page 321]]

        Together, we enacted into law the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997,
    which will help build and strengthen 14,000 community anti-drug
    coalitions and brought together civic groups--ranging from the Elks to
    the Girl Scouts and representing over 55 million Americans--to form a
    Civic Alliance, targeting youth drug use. By mobilizing people and
    empowering communities, we are defeating drugs through a child-by-child,
    street-by-street, and neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach.
        We have also helped make our streets and communities safer by
    strengthening law enforcement. Through my Administration's Community
    Oriented Police (COPs) program, we are helping but 100,000 more police
    officers in towns and cities across the Nation. We are taking deadly
    assault weapons out of the hands of drug dealers and gangs, making our
    streets safer for our families. We have taken steps to rid our prisons
    of drugs, as well as to break the vicious cycle of drugs and crime.
    These efforts are making a difference: violent crime in America has
    dropped dramatically for 5 years in a row.
        Over the last year, the United States and Mexico reached agreement
    on a mutual Threat Assessment that defines the scope of the common
    threat we face; and, an Alliance that commits our great nations to
    defeating that threat. Soon, we will sign a bilateral Strategy that
    commits both nations to specific actions and performance benchmarks. Our
    work to enhance cooperation within the hemisphere and worldwide is
    already showing results. For example, Peruvian coca production has
    declined by roughly 40 percent over the last 2 years. In 1997, Mexican
    drug eradication rates reached record levels, and seizures increased
    nearly 50 percent over 1996.
        We are making a difference. Drug use in America has declined by 50
    percent over the last decade. For the first time in 6 years, studies
    show that youth drug use is beginning to stabilize, and in some respects
    is even declining. And indications are that the methamphetamine and
    crack cocaine epidemics, which in recent years were sweeping the Nation,
    have begun to recede.
        However, we must not confuse progress with ultimate success.
    Although youth drug use has started to decline, it remains unacceptably
    high.
        More than ever, we must recommit ourselves to give parents the tools
    and support they need to teach children that drugs are dangerous and
    wrong. That is why we must improve the Safe and Drug-Free Schools
    program, and other after school initiatives that help keep our kids in
    school, off drugs, and out of trouble. We must hire 1,000 new border
    patrol agents and close the door on drugs at our borders. We must
    redouble our efforts with other nations to take the profits out of drug
    dealing and trafficking and break the sources of supply. And we must
    enact comprehensive bipartisan tobacco legislation that reduces youth
    smoking. These and other efforts are central elements of the 1998
    National Drug Control Strategy.
        With the help of the American public, and the ongoing support of the
    Congress, we can achieve these goals. In submitting this plan to you, I
    ask for your continued partnership in defeating drugs in America. Our
    children and this Nation deserve no less.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    March 3, 1998.