    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [February 28, 2004]
    [Pages 287-289]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    February 28, 2004

        Good morning. For many years, illegal drug use has been a serious
    problem facing our country. Drugs cost people their savings and their
    health and rob children of their promise. My administration has taken
    action to confront this danger. We have pursued an ambitious, focused
    strategy to cut demand for drugs at home, interdict supplies of drugs
    abroad, and treat more addicts who seek help.
        In 2002, I set a goal to reduce illegal drug use by 10 percent over
    2 years and by 25 percent over 5 years. This Monday we will release the
    annual National Drug Control Strategy, which shows the impressive
    progress we have made. Youth drug use declined 11 percent between 2001
    and

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    2003, meaning 400,000 fewer young people used drugs. These results
    exceeded our goal and proved that our hard work is paying off.
        This year, we will expand our strategy so that we can make even
    greater progress in the fight against drugs. The best way to cut drug
    use is to cut demand for drugs at the ground level. So my budget
    includes a $10-million increase for drug-free communities, a commonsense
    prevention program that supports local coalitions working to stop young
    people from using drugs.
        Research shows that teenagers who abstain from drugs are unlikely to
    start using them later in life. So I have asked Congress to provide an
    additional $23 million for high schools who want to develop and carry
    out drug testing programs. Random drug testing gives students a strong
    answer to the social pressure to try drugs. It helps schools identify
    those using drugs so they can intervene with counseling and treatment
    before experiments turn into addictions.
        We've seen the positive results of drug testing across the country.
    Just 2 years after Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey
    began its testing program, drug use had declined significantly
    throughout the school. Hunterdon's principal
    described the program's effect this way: ``We have never seen a
    prevention curriculum that affected the numbers this substantially. We
    finally had a tool that was making a large difference.''
        As we reduce demand for drugs, we're also preventing drug supplies
    from entering our country. Our military and law enforcement personnel
    are targeting the world's most dangerous drug trafficking networks. We
    are dismantling these organizations and putting their leaders in jail.
    And by working with governments across our hemisphere, we are drying up
    the world's supply of illegal drugs at its source.
        Finally, we are taking steps to help those who have fallen into the
    destructive cycle of addiction. Drug dependence undermines productivity
    as well as moral conviction and devastates millions of families each
    year. Some addicts recognize their problem and want to change but cannot
    afford access to professional care. To help men and women like these, I
    launched an initiative called Access to Recovery. This program will help
    thousands of Americans get the treatment they need. And because I know a
    good way to change a person's behavior is to change their heart, faith-
    based treatment programs will always be an option. Congress has provided
    $100 million for this lifesaving program, and this year, I have asked it
    to double that amount.
        The progress reported in this year's Drug Control Strategy is
    encouraging. Our goals are ambitious, and we have seen they can be
    achieved. Now we will build on the improvement of the past 2 years, and
    we will continue working toward a society in which all citizens can lead
    a life of independence and purpose, free from the devastating influence
    of drugs.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10:30 a.m. on February 27 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on February
    28. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on February 27 but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. In his address, the President referred to Lisa Brady,
    principal, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ. The
    Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of this address.

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