NCJ Number
212381
Date Published
2005
Length
0 pages
Annotation
In this video a panel of experts discusses issues related to the priority States give to drug addiction and prevention as well as issues that should be considered in the development of a comprehensive approach to addressing the drug problem.
Abstract
The four-member panel consists of a representative from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, representatives from State drug treatment agencies in Colorado and Massachusetts, and a recovering alcoholic involved in advocacy for improved systems of drug treatment and prevention. The panel notes that the economic and social costs of drug addiction should make it a top priority for the Federal and State governments in the allocation of resources. Michael Deaver, the recovering alcoholic on the panel, who has been involved in politics most of his career, notes that politicians have little knowledge of the nature of addiction as a disease, its cost to society, and the responsibility of governments to provide comprehensive systems of drug treatment. The host, a member of the staff of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, mentions Federal legislation enacted to address the drug problem in the Nation and then asks the panel whether such laws are adequate. Although commending the legislation for increasing public awareness of drug addiction and treatment and making treatment more accessible, the panel advises that there is much yet to be done. Funding sources are indicated to be weak and unpredictable, and programs are not sufficiently numerous and diverse to address co-occurring illnesses and the varying needs of those who come for treatment. Another issue addressed is the need for physicians to receive specialized training in recognizing, understanding, and referring patients with a drug addiction.