Making Drug Prevention a National Priority

An interview with Dr. Lee P. Brown

By Aurelio Huertas Jr.
Staff Writer

Dr. Lee P. Brown is Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a unanimous vote and was sworn in to the cabinet-level post on June 21, 1993.

Dr. Brown recently met with MRC for an exclusive interview in Washington, D.C. The conversation was edited for length.

What initiatives have emerged that will be used as the cornerstone of your national drug control strategy?

Our goals are quite clear: (1) to reduce the consumption of drugs in America, with a special emphasis on the hard-core drug user; (2) to address the problem of violence in America; (3) to empower communities to work with us as Partners in addressing the drug, crime, and violence problems; and (4) to have an effective international program.

How does your national drug control strategy differ from that of past administrations?

Our strategies differ in significant ways. We place a much greater emphasis on reducing the demand for and consumption of drugs with a special emphasis on the addictive, hard-core drug user. Other strategies placed a greater emphasis on the supply side: interdiction and enforcement efforts.

We believe that a national drug control strategy has to be comprehensive, yet balanced. By comprehensive, I mean that we look at what we need to do on the domestic side. Clearly, law enforcement, prevention, education, and treatment are all very important components of our national drug control strategy.

In addition, we also have an international component, which also deviates from previous strategies. The President has directed that we undertake a control shift from interdiction in the transit zones and place a greater emphasis in the source countries: Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia.

Does your national drug control strategy address some of the causative factors of why young people use drugs: for example, poverty, racism, and inadequate family and community support?

You don't have to be a scientist or understand empirical research to determine that there is some correlation between the issues of unemployment, poor service delivery systems, infant mortality, alcoholism, drug abuse, and violence. If we're going to make headway in developing any permanent solution to the problem, we have to address the underlying problems as well.

For us, a drug control program is not limited to a line item on a budget that says "narcotics." Rather, we look at not only the symptoms that lead to drug abuse, but also the underlying causes. Dealing with the fact that many millions of Americans do not have adequate health care is, to us, drug control. We also look at treatment as being gun control, understanding that it is not only good drug policy, but good crime, health, economic, and urban policy. In addition, employment, educational reform, and economic development are all part of our drug control program.

In essence, what we are saying is that we have to do more than just react to the problem of drug abuse. Our approach will be to make our interim national drug control strategy the foundation for domestic policy in general and move beyond the idea that drug abuse is solely a problem for law enforcement. Rather, we see it as much a problem for the health care system as well as law enforcement.

Your strategy calls for the treatment and education of hard-core drug users. What specific initiatives does your national drug control strategy employ to target the hard-core drug users - specifically, youth who don't have access to health insurance?

The President's health care reform package, when passed by Congress, will make substance abuse treatment part of the national health care system. For the first time in this country, drug treatment will be looked upon as any other health care need. We know that health care reform will not cover all of our needs, so we are now working with Health and Human Services to look at block grants and see how they can supplement the health care reform security package to address the hard-core drug user.

If we see this as a major problem, we have to put the resources there to address it. We have not seen any decline in the number of hard-core drug users. If anything, the trend suggests that it will be going up. Tens of thousands of people are arrested every year. The majority of them have some substance abuse problems.

I'm optimistic that if we follow the path that we have outlined for ourselves - that is, to focus on the addictive, hard-core drug user - we will make a difference. Making a difference means a lot to America: less crime, violence, health care costs, better educational opportunities, and a higher quality of life.

Was there a point in time when you realized the magnitude of the drug and violence epidemic in this country?

I've always viewed drugs as a major problem in America. Over a period of years - looking back at my years as a police commissioner, public safety commissioner of Atlanta, sheriff in Oregon, police chief in Houston, and police chief in New York City - I've seen all of the misery, despair, and all too often, the deaths that stem from drug abuse. What struck me more than anything else was the senseless violence that takes place - particularly when innocent children are killed - as a result of random gun fire.

Today, I would issue an urgent warning that the problem [violence] is not only in our inner cities. It is in our suburbs and increasingly in our rural areas. No longer is this a problem for blacks, Hispanics, or poor people. This is an American problem. I have not met a family that has not been touched by the drug problem in one way or another.

Violence has become a national health issue. How does your national drug control strategy address the sixth national educational goal, which states that all schools will be violence and drug free by the year 2000?

The second goal of our national drug control strategy is reducing violence in America. There are a number of things that we are doing to achieve this goal. Legislatively, we are pushing for gun control - sensible gun control. We are aggressively pushing for a ban on assault weapons. We think that there should be increased fees for those who want a license to sell guns. We want to support efforts such as the gun turn-in programs throughout the country.

For the past few months, the debate over drug legalization has generated heated discussions among the American people. What is the position of the Office of National Drug Control Policy on this issue?

Our job as a policy office is to develop a strategy and submit it to the Congress and the American people for its implementation. This administration is unequivocally opposed to any concept of legalization. We know that there has been some talk about that lately. We came out very strongly to say that legalization, in our estimation, would be the road to the destruction of this country. We ask those who talk about legalization to give some thought to it. I believe very strongly that even the debate about legalization is detrimental in many respects. On one hand we tell our young children to say no to drugs, but, on the other, some very respectable people - even public officials - talk about debating legalization. I think this country has to be very clear. Our message must be no use - period, and that is the position that this administration will take.

There seems to be little coordination among the fifty federal agencies resulting in the duplication of services. What leadership will your office provide to alleviate the overlapping of services?

My office is responsible for being on top of all that goes on in relation to drugs in America. In addition to coordinating all the activities of the federal government, my office is also responsible for providing leadership direction to state and local governments. We are responsible for coordinating the efforts of the federal agencies, and we have done a lot in that area. I have brought together all of the enforcement agencies in the federal government and we have a clear understanding of the strategy and how we will work together. We are also bringing together the people in the prevention field. I'm concerned right now because the trend suggests that the decline in drug use among our young people has stopped, and surveys are now suggesting that drug use among young people is going up. For that reason, I am bringing together child development people and prevention experts to take a look at what this means.

You have laid out a very comprehensive plan to address drug demand and supply. How will these initiatives be funded given the recent budget cutbacks?

The drug issue is a top priority for this administration. The President clearly understands the nature of the problem, the consequences, and the harm that it does for society. We will give the drug issue top priority in the budget process as well. For the first time this past year, we saw Congress willing to cut out drug programs - things such as prevention and treatment. We would hope that they clearly understand - as I do, as the President does - that the drug problem is one of our most serious domestic problems at this point in our history. We need Congress to support us in obtaining and allocating the funds to do that job.

Do you have an idea of how funding will flow from the federal government to assist local communities? Who will oversee this process?

There are a number of funding mechanisms. For example, Health and Human Services will have funds in terms of treatment and prevention. The Department of Education will have funds in terms of our schools' programs and Drug-Free Schools and Communities. HUD will have funds for public housing. Labor will have funds for job development. So, there are various pockets of funds.

One of the things my office is working on is making sure we coordinate those funding resources so we can make an impact in neighborhoods. That is going to be very important. I am optimistic to say that if this administration is going to leave a legacy, it will be to change how we deal with state and local governments. We want to deal with them as a partner. They can tell us what they need and what their problems are, and we can be the ones to support them in achieving the objectives. That includes doing away with all of the red tape and bureaucracy that we have here right now.

How does your national drug control strategy address early education and prevention specifically?

We believe that when we talk about drug education it has to be started at a very early level. Head Start, for example, provides programs to deal with the drug issue. Drug education must start at Head Start and go all the way up to the 12th grade in the school system - even in the colleges and universities. Providing a comprehensive, factual, culturally relevant, consistent message is our goal.

Since we are on the subject of children, what are some of the obstacles facing youth today? Are schools sending our children negative messages?

The young people who come into the schools today are different than when I was going to school. We tend to look at young people who can't make it in schools as being alienated or estranged from the school. What I suggest is that we need to look at these issues in a different way. It may very well be that the school systems are alienated or estranged from the young people, which means we need to bring about some reform: How do we teach? How do we train our teachers? Now, in the information age, we have to bring about fundamental changes in our educational system - including our training of teachers - in order to be responsive to the students. As I have talked to young people and former and current gang members and drug users - there are two things that I usually leave those meetings with. One, a cry for help. They want to see someone - society - make things better for them. Two, a clear indication where they find themselves at that point in time - usually related to economics, not being able to have a decent job or a good education. Therefore, there is an atmosphere, an element, and an environment of hopelessness. They know they don't have an education. They know they can't get a good job. So, what do they do? They then turn to illegal activities. That does not excuse their behavior, but it does help us understand what we have to do as a society to address the problem.

Are you hopeful?

I'm very optimistic. I think we have an opportunity now - unlike any time in recent history - to make a difference. I say that because we have commitment from the administration, particularly the President. Plus the people are fed up and they want to see something change, and by combining that anger into something constructive - that is working together - not only can we, we will make a difference.

Copyright © 1995:

Midwest Regional Center for
Drug-Free Schools & Communities


North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

Contact: info@ncrel.org

Posted on March 27, 1995

URL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/sa/4-1lee.htm