White House Fact Sheet on the National Drug Control Strategy
September 5, 1989

The National Drug Control Strategy describes a coordinated and comprehensive plan of attack involving all basic anti-drug initiatives and agencies. The strategy recommendsthe largest dollar increase in the history of the drug war: nearly $2.2 billion, 39 percent above the fiscal 1989 level. Throughout, the strategy emphasizes the principle of user accountability—in law enforcement efforts focused on individual users; in decisions regarding sentencing and parole; in school, college, and university policies regarding the use of drugs by students and employees; in the workplace; and in treatment.

The strategy also calls for increased efforts in cocaine source countries and a more active international campaign by the United States to engage other nations in the fight against drugs. Interdiction efforts will be better targeted on key individuals in the drug organizations and on high-value shipments.

Another major priority is increasing the capacity of the drug treatment system and making it more accountable for results. Significant emphasis is also given to providing increased support for prevention and education efforts aimed at helping young people and others resist and reject drugs.

The strategy embodies the following elements:

Expand the criminal justice system
provide funds for larger police forces

and increased numbers of jails, prosecutors, and courts;
develop alternatives for incarceration, such as boot camps to free up jail and prison space;
require drug testing of prisoners, parolees, and arrestees.

Hold users, whether casual or heavy users, accountable for their actions
Undertake a vigorous program to eradicate domestically grown marijuana

Mobilize communities in the war on drugs
emphasize community-level prevention of drug use before it starts;
require schools and colleges to implement firm drug-free policies in order to receive Federal funds;
clean up and secure public housing.

Expand drug-free workplace policies
promote drug-free workplace policies in the private sector;
recommend testing for job applicants and employers in safety and sensitive positions;
aggressively implement Executive Order 12564 to assure drug-free workplace plans and policies within the Federal government.

Expand treatment and target services to improve the number of individuals served and the effectiveness of treatment
hold federally funded treatment programs accountable for their effectiveness by establishing performance criteria;
require drug testing in treatment programs receiving Federal funds;
explore expanded use of "civil commitment" whereby addicts are sent by the courts to residential treatment facilities;
improve drug treatment services for pregnant women.

Place heavier emphasis on targeted international efforts closer to production and trafficking sources
elevate the drug issue as a foreign policy priority;
dismantle drug trafficking organizations;
reduce trafficking profits by focusing increased efforts on money laundering.

Take a fresh approach to interdiction
create interagency and interdisciplinary teams to analyze and target smuggling modes, methods, and routes;
target key individuals and high-value shipments;
enhance border interdiction systems, operations, and activities.

Improve the quality of research, information, and technological capabilities available for drug control efforts
establish a Federal Drug Control Research and Development Committee;
develop a more current and flexible information base.

Improve coordination of Federal anti-drug policy and intelligence support
establish interagency working groups chaired by the Office of National Drug Control Policy to coordinate supply and demand reduction efforts;
establish an interagency working group chaired by the Office of National Drug
Control Policy to develop plans for an intelligence center to unite U.S. drugrelated analytical capabilities, and to improve intelligence capabilities.

Recommend a $2.2 billion increase in drug funding to $7.9 billion in 1990. The major changes over 1989 are shown on the following chart:

Feb 9 Drug FY89-
Feb 9 Budget Plus Strategy FY90 FY89-
FY1989 Budget Drug September Percent FY90 $
Enacted FY1990 ¹ Portion of FY1990 ² Increase Increase
Crime Bill ²

Corrections 734 894 1,601 1,601 118 867
International 250 306 306 449 80 199
State and Local
Grants 150 150 156 350 133 200
Judiciary 209 242 250 250 20 41
Other Law
Enforcement 2,779 3,018 3,058 3,113 12 334
Prevention/Education 943 1,041 1,041 1,176 25 233
Treatment 604 735 735 925 53 321
Total 5,669 6,386 7,147 7,864 39 2,195

¹ These columns include resources for the U.S. Court and make other minor adjustments to the figures presented in the "Building a Better America" document issued in February 1989.
² These columns include the "drug portion" ($0.8 billion) of the President’s $1.2 billion crime initiative announced in May 1989. The administration supports enactment of the crime initiative (The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1989) in its entirety.

The drug portion of prison construction is based on the projected share of drug offenders in Federal prison at the time the construction is completed. This new methodology reflects more accurately the likely impact of drug offenses. For consistency with prior years, the historical prison construction numbers have been adjusted to reflect this new methodology.