As far back as the Nixon Administration, the U.S. government decided to attack the American drug problem at the source end of the supply channel.
As far back as the Nixon Administration, the U.S. government decided to attack the American drug problem at the source end of the supply channel. Every Administration since has carried forward the same banner: eradicate drug production, seize drugs on their way into the country, extradite and prosecute drug lords.
Add to the costs of these measures the additional expense of drug abuse treatment and prevention, and you’re looking at more than $60 billion spent since 2001, in federal dollars alone. In a business run on principles of accountability, one would expect that $60 billion would buy a greatly improved situation at home. But the U.S. government’s own statistics do not bear out this result.
Since 2001, the number of people abusing illicit drugs has jumped from 15 million to more than 20 million in 2006. And while, in the last several years nearly $5 billion was devoted to reducing the Colombian coca crop – the source of much of this country’s cocaine – the supply has, by all reports, remained steady. The Office of National Drug Control Policy’s statistics show that price for a gram of cocaine has dropped from $450 in the early 1980s to $135 in 2007.
Meanwhile, the number of cocaine users has stayed steady. Between five and a half and six million Americans use cocaine each year. Close to a million new people are intiated into using the drug each year.
“You can spend all you want on eradication and seizures of shipment without reducing drug use,” stated Ryan Thorpe, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country’s leading drug education and rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “Without highly effective treatment programs to help people leave their addictions behind for good, high demand will always create a hot market for illicit drugs.
“Substance abuse rehabilitation programs must eliminate the cravings, guilt and depression suffered by every addicted person for lasting recovery to occur,” Mr. Thorpe added. “Masking problems with further drugs or substituting one addictive substance for another will not result in the addict learning to live a drug-free life. We work with our clients for a period lasting three to four months, on average. As a result, seven out of ten of our graduates graduate from our drug-free program and go on to enjoy a life free from substance abuse.”
For more information on the rehabilitation and educational services of Narconon Arrowhead, call 1-800-468-6933 today or visit the website www.stopaddiction.com. The Narconon program was founded in 1966 by William Benitez in Arizona State Prison, and is based on the humanitarian works of L. Ron Hubbard. In more than 120 centers around the world, Narconon programs restore drug and alcohol abusers and addicts to a clean and sober lifestyle.
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