Lawmakers Emphasize Need for Balanced U.S. Anti-Drug Policy

Calling attention to the ongoing problem of substance abuse and addiction in the United States, Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack recently testified in a subcommittee hearing on the affect of the drug trade on America's youth and on the need to update and improve the U.S. approach to reducing both the supply of and demand for drugs in the Western Hemisphere. Bono Mack, a leading advocate for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and addiction and an original co-sponsor of the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act (H.R. 2134), which was passed by the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee last week, emphasized the importance of a holistic approach to this serious issue that affects families across America, including her own.

“Drug abuse and addiction remains a major challenge in the U.S. and throughout the Western Hemisphere and is threatening the health, safety, and even future of our society,” Bono Mack said. “It is essential that we work on all levels to aggressively address not only the seemingly unending supply of illicit substances crossing our borders but also curb the demand for these substances. We need to update and refresh our laws that will strengthen enforcement while improving prevention efforts that will keep our youth off drugs in the first place.”

The Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act would create an independent commission to evaluate U.S. policies and programs aimed at reducing illicit drug supply and demand.

Rep. Eliot Engel – who is also a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health – added, “To tackle our nation’s horrific drug problem once and for all, we cannot simply look to solutions on the supply side. The Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission will assess all aspects of the drug war – including prevention and treatment.”

While the United States accounts for approximately five percent of world population, in 2007 an estimated 17.2 percent of the world’s users of illegal drugs were from the United States. One hundred percent of the United States cocaine supply, and 90 percent of the United States heroin supply, originates in South America. In addition, the countries of Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico are key transit countries for drugs entering the US.

Congresswoman Bono Mack said any U.S. drug policy should include a focus on prescription drug abuse, as well as illicit drugs. “Our efforts should not be limited to ‘street’ drugs – we must ensure tighter regulations of prescription drugs, which can be just as addictive and deadly as drugs prescribed by a doctor,” she said.

Rep. Bono Mack was a keynote speaker at CADCA’s 2009 National Leadership Forum and she is a Vice Co-Chair on the Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.