Supporting the Mayors’ calls for increased drug prevention and treatment resources, General Barry McCaffrey, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, addressed approximately 300 Mayors at the Monday, June 14 plenary session.

Gen. McCaffrey joined Mayor Corradini, as well as Drug Control Task Force co-chairs Mayor Brent Coles of Boise and Mayor Scott King of Gary, in the open dialogue, which focused on the role that drugs play in the proliferation of youth violence and other crime in our nation.

In his address, Gen. McCaffrey stressed the important role that Mayors can play in changing the national dialogue around substance abuse treatment and prevention.

The panel discussion began with comments by Mayor Coles, followed by a presentation that characterized the nature and pervasiveness of the drug epidemic among youth in Boise. More importantly, the video spoke to the need for early and intensive prevention efforts with young people – a point which General McCaffrey, in his remarks, further stressed. Given the impact of media and peer influences on young people, ‘early’ substance abuse education is being reconceived as appropriate in elementary schools, in communities across the nation.

In remarks following Gen. McCaffrey’s address, Mayor King outlined the critical importance of targeting substance abuse prevention and treatment resources directly to cities, which, as "first responders," should the greatest social and financial costs of substance abuse. Mayor King also highlighted policy initiatives which were being considered by the Mayors (and were adopted on Tuesday – see related story in this issue), which would increase resources for drug prevention and treatment in cities. These policy positions include:

• Recognizing drug courts as an option that can enhance public safety and help to reduce crime, and funded accordingly;
• Provision by health providers of full parity for drug treatment – providing the same level of coverage for substance abuse services as they would provide for other illnesses.
• Reauthorizing the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with separate appropriations levels for the Targeted Capacity Expansion programs in CSAT and CSAP; and establishing of State Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Planning Councils, with representation of local government officials, members of the alcohol and drug treatment and prevention field, and treatment and prevention consumers and their families.