What is the most effective way to reduce drug use: prevention or interdiction?
The most important thing we do is prevention. I know it’s difficult to demonstrate. We can do more harm than good if the administration and national leadership suggests this is not a priority, not a serious matter, is not on the agenda or is something that we talk intelligently or seriously about. That is not essentially measured in dollars. … Most law enforcement is done at the local level. Most prevention and treatment is done at the local level. We are providing revenue and resources to other people. Our leadership is very powerful. It can have negative consequences if we don’t do it right. But it can have positive consequences by setting a tone for young people. We know that if young people don’t use drugs through teen-age years, they are unlikely to use them later on. … Whom are you trying to reach to prevent drug use? And what drugs are at the root of this country’s drug problem? Of the 4.5 million who need to benefit from drug treatment in the United States, 23 percent are t
