National Drug Control Strategy Structure - Research Paper Example

 The National Drug Control Strategy Drug and substance abuse affects many sectors of society. This problem has put a strain on the economy; healthcare and the criminal justice thereby endangering the lives and futures Americans. Though the overall drug use in the United States has significantly dropped over the years, many challenges still remain in the fight against drug abuse. Despite the strategies in place to deal with the issue of drug abuse, recent surveys indicate that there are trends that point to increase in drug use in the US (Kerlikowske, 2011). The measures taken so far to deal with treatment of drug addicts have not yielded satisfactory results. There is a need to re-evaluate the approach that is in use. In order to be able to deal with this problem, several issues have to be looked into. The most fundamental are availability of treatment, stigma related issues and availability of financial recourses. Treatment Although treatment for addiction is available in many places, in the United States, challenges still exist when it comes to accessibility and quality of services rendered. It is disturbing to note that those charged with the responsibility of treating substance abuse and addiction often criticize others that do not use methods similar to theirs (Califano, 2007). It should be noted that people need to be treated using different approaches depending on their level of addiction (USDHHS, 2009). High-end treatment centers tend to look down on public programs. Non residential programs/outpatient looks down on residential programs terming them unnecessary, expensive rip off programs (Califano, 2007). Every treatment center wants its’ approach to treatment to be considered the best. This should not be the case. Encouraging such behavior deals a serious blow to the fight against drug addiction. It is also not encouraging to those addicts that are willing to come out and seek help. The perception that the quality of treatment is not the same at different treatment centers should be eradicated (Ortiz, 2011). Treatment should be available to all patients regardless of the approach they use in seeking treatment. Whether public, private, inpatient or outpatient, the goal should be to ensure that the addict gets assistance to become clean. The government should subsidize the cost for treatment of drug addiction as much as possible. Organizations such as the Drug Free Communities which is a support program can be used as treatment centers besides implementing anti-drug abuse strategies (Kerlikowske, 2011). Stigma Stigmatization poses a serious challenge when attending to cases of drug abuse and drug addicts. People often stigmatize drug addicts instead of seeking ways to help them deal with their addiction problem. Many people shy away from discussing the issue of drug and substance abuse, therefore, making the situation hard to tackle. It is sad to note that the public health community and the medical profession have failed in educating society on substance abuse. People need to understand that addiction is a disease. Some people consider it a moral failing, but that is not the case. It is a chronic disease which should be given the same weight as diabetes and high blood pressure (Califano, 2007). Constant therapy together with medication is necessary in order to cure the disease. Families talk freely about heart ailments and diseases such as cancer when the issue afflicts a family member, but when it comes to a child hooked on marijuana, cocaine or heroin the issue is kept secret. Programs such as alcoholics anonymous (AA) have helped promote this problem. However, I cannot put full blame on the program. Califano (2007) states that this anonymity becomes necessary because of the way society treats addiction. Employers are reluctant to hire recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. Addicts, therefore, do not reveal that they had an addiction problem in the past when seeking employment. Health insurers are also adamant to insure persons who admit to having a history of drug abuse. In order to illustrate how grave the problem is, I give an example of a person who becomes diabetic as a result of obesity due to overeating. People view such a person as a victim of a dreadful disease that merits medical treatment health insurance coverage. People do not condemn them for not regulating their food intake to avoid obesity. On the other hand, people view alcoholics as self indulgent and morally weak because they were not able to control their desire for drugs. Stigma is most damaging to the young who fear social stigma (embarrassment or fear that someone will find out). This prevents them from seeking school services that may help them fight their addiction (Califano, 2007). Politicians have not been left out of this issue. It is sad to note that some political figureheads involve themselves in stigmatization against drug addicts. Some have allegedly been heard saying that addiction is a choice (Ortiz, 2011). It is extremely inappropriate for a leader to use such words. The problem of addiction can afflict anyone including politicians and their families. Finance For any plan to succeed there is a need to have adequate financial muscle to power it. The government currently provides some funds used to facilitate the treatment of addicts mostly through its various public programs. Though the programs are still functional, it is necessary to expand them so that they can take in a greater number of patients and provide better treatment methods than those that are currently in use (Ortiz, 2011). It is necessary to increase funds to cater for the strategies developed to deal with addiction. Residential treatment centers must be well equipped so that they can be able to provide better treatment to addicts. Health insurance companies are reluctant in insuring addicts as they consider them high risk. The government should develop proper mechanisms to reimburse insurance companies when required to do so. This will encourage health insurance companies to insure persons with a history of drug use. Funds to cater for the treatment of addicts should come from the providers of these addictive substances. This is because these companies are responsible for the problem of drug abuse. One way is to increase national beer tax and commit the revenues to substance abuse prevention (Califano, 2007). The companies should also be encouraged to embrace corporate social responsibility. They can do this by developing a fund to support treatment of drug addicts. Nonprofit organizations are also extremely willing to assist but may lack the outreach that the government has in accessing addicts. The government should assist such organizations to reach addicts so that they can offer their services to them (Ortiz, 2011). Drug abuse is tremendously costly to the United States. Every addict is a potential loss of valuable workforce. If we do not make enough effort to reverse the trend of drug abuse, serious problems will follow. Social costs such as illiteracy due to school dropouts, health costs from drug abuse related illnesses and economic costs from a deprived labor force will increase. This will be highly detrimental to country in the long run (Kerlikowske, 2011). If treatment is easily available, many addicts feel encouraged to present themselves for treatment. This will reduce drug use at a faster rate than the current state. Stigma discourages addicts from seeking medical help. It is necessary to eradicate stigma so that people are not afraid to come for treatment. This will lead to a further drop in addiction levels. Financing is necessary so as to equip the treatment facilities with all materials needed to treat patients. Promoting public health and safety is a crucial strategic approach to tackling the drug and substance abuse problem. Drug abuse treatment is worth its costs as it reduces drug use (Kerlikowske, 2011). According to estimates, every dollar invested in treating addiction generates a return of four to seven dollars in terms of costs reduced when dealing with crime. When we include other health care savings, total savings exceed costs of treatment by a 12 to1 ratio (USDHHS, 2009). As indicated, the benefits of treating drug addicts outweigh the costs. It is, therefore, prudent for the government to embrace this approach in dealing with drug and substance abuse. References Califano, A. J. (2007). High society: How substance abuse ravages America and what I do about it. New York: Public Affairs. Kerlikowske, R. Gil. (2011). 2011 National Drug Control Strategy. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/2011-national-drug-control-strategy United States Department of Health and Human Services. (USDHHS) (2009). Principles of drug addiction treatment. [Data file]. Retrieved from http://drugabuse.gov/PDF/PODAT/PODAT.pdf Ortiz, Andres. (2011, Oct 3). White House: 2011 National drug control strategy. Retrieved from http://www.insightcrime.org/investigations/government-multilaterals/item/1467-white- house-2011-national-drug-control-strategy   Read More