The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a Cabinet level component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was
established in 1988 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. Its stated goal is to establish policies,
priorities, and objectives to eradicate illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and
drug-related health consequences in the U.S.
The current director is John P. Walters; his position is ubiquitously nicknamed the
Drug Czar. In addition to running the ONDCP, the director evaluates, coordinates, and oversees both the international and
domestic anti-drug efforts of executive branch agencies and ensures that such
efforts sustain and complement State and local anti-drug activities. The Director advises the President regarding changes in the
organization, management, budgeting, and personnel of federal agencies that effect U.S. anti-drug efforts; and regarding federal
agency compliance with their obligations under the National Drug Control Strategy, an annual report required by law.
As of mid-2006, there were 111 full-time employees at ONDCP.[1]
Congressional issues
Funding
In September 2006, the Senate Appropriations
Committee recommended that salaries and expenses at ONDCP be reduced from $26.6 million in fiscal 2006 to $11.5 million in
fiscal 2007, to "more closely reflect actual performance." Committee members said they would request funding for a study of ONDCP
by the National Academy of Public Administration. They also ordered a Government Accountability Office study on the distribution of grants. Plus, they
directed the Director to provide quarterly updates on travel expenditures, staffing levels and plans for future hirings.[1]
High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Program
In 2005, the Bush Administration proposed transferring the $225 million High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Program from ONDCP to
the Department of Justice. The program gives additional money to
communities with chronic illicit drug sales. According to the Washington Post, "Many lawmakers oppose the transfer for
fear the program would become less of a priority." [1]
Effectiveness of ONDCP
Extent of drug use in the U.S.
In September 2006, the office reported that the 2005 survey of 67,500 people found that 8.1 percent reported using an illicit
drug in the 30 days prior to being asked about their drug use, which equates to 19.7 million people nationwide (age 12 and
older). The percentage was up slightly compared to 2004. Youth drug use declined for the third year in a row.[2]
Anti-marijuana advertising
In August 2001, the office told a Congressional committee that its National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign "has been the most
visible symbol of the federal government's commitment to drug prevention," and that the office was "investing $7 million a year
in performance measurement to determine the effectiveness" of the campaign. The statement by said "We believe there is a strong
body of evidence that indicates the campaign is working, as planned, to change drug attitudes, intentions and use."[3]
In 2002, according to a multiyear study by the research firm hired by the office, teenagers exposed to federal anti-drug ads
were no less likely to use drugs for having viewed them, and some young girls said they were even more likely to give drugs a
try. Walters blamed poor ads that weren't resonating with teenagers. Walters promised in Senate testimony in 2002 that he would
show results within a year or admit failure, and Congress agreed to extend the campaign through 2003 while cutting funding for
the ads from $170 million in 2002 to $150 million in 2003. An entirely new advertising campaign was created.[4]
In February 2005, a research company hired by the office and the National
Institute on Drug Abuse reported that the government's ad campaign aimed at dissuading teens from using marijuana, a
campaign that cost $1.4 billion between 1998 and 2006, did not work: "greater exposure to the campaign was associated with weaker
anti-drug norms and increases in the perceptions that others use marijuana." The research company was paid $42.7 million for the
five-year study. After the February 2005 report was received, the office continued the ad campaign, spending $220 million on the
anti-marijuana ads in fiscal years 2005 and 2006.[5]
Other
According to the University of Michigan's annual Monitoring the Future report, the number of young people using drugs in the
U.S. declined by 23 percent between 2001 and 2006 [6].
While cocaine production in Colombia initially decreased with the onset of Plan Colombia, the United Nations declared that in
2005, despite record levels of eradication by the U.S., coca production increased to about 330 square miles [7].
Controversies
Paying for embedded anti-drug messages in television shows
In 2000, the Federal Communications
Commission, in response to a complaint by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, sent
inquiries to five major television networks about ONDCP's practice of offering millions of additional advertising dollars to
networks that embedded anti-drug messages in their programming[8]. The House Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human
Resources held hearings on the matter on July 11, 2000.[9].
In December of that year, the FCC ruled that the networks should have identified the Office of National Drug Control Policy as
the sponsor of the television programs. [10] [11]
Government as Scriptwriter
In the spring of 1998, the ONDCP began to develop an accounting system to decide which network shows would be valued and for
how much. Receiving advance copies of scripts, they assigned financial value to each show's anti-drug message. Then they would
suggest ways that the networks could increase the payments they would get. The WB network's
senior vice president for broadcast standards Rick Mater admitted, "The White House did view scripts. They did sign off on them
-- they read scripts, yes."[12]
Running the campaign for the ONDCP was Alan Levitt, who estimated that between 1998 and 2000 the networks received nearly $25
million in benefits.[12]
One example was with Warner Brothers' show, Smart
Guy. The original script portrayed two young people using drugs at a party. Originally depicted as cool and popular,
after input from the drug office, "We showed that they were losers and put them [hidden away to indulge in shamed secrecy] in a
utility room. That was not in the original script."[12]
Other shows including ER, Beverly
Hills 90210, Chicago Hope, The
Drew Carey Show and 7th Heaven also put anti-drug messages into their
stories to cash in.[12]
State and local decriminalization ballot measures
In December 2002, the Marijuana Policy
Project, filed a complaint with the Nevada Secretary of State accusing the Drug Czar John Walters of illegally campaigning
against its 2002 ballot initiative to decriminalize possession of up to 3 ounces of
cannabis in that state. Specifically, MPP argued that Nevada campaign finance laws required the Drug Czar to reveal how much taxpayer money he had spent to defeat
the initiative. In April 2003, the Nevada Attorney General concluded that the Drug Czar was not
required to comply with Nevada's campaign finance laws. MPP filed a writ of mandamus as an
appeal of the decision. The Nevada Supreme Court issued an order declaring that MPP had "set forth issues of arguable merit" in
its writ; however, on August 18, 2004, the Court declared that it was "not satisfied that [the]
court's intervention by way of extraordinary relief is warranted". [13]
A February 24, 2005 MPP press release announced that the group had filed similar complaints in
Montana, Oregon, and Alaska, accusing the Drug Czar of failing to make legally required campaign expense disclosures [14]:
- On October 5, 2004, the drug czar traveled to Oregon for the purpose of opposing Measure 33, a ballot measure designed to
expand the state's medical marijuana program. On October 6, ONDCP Deputy Director Scott Burns traveled to Montana to campaign
against Initiative 148, the medical marijuana measure passed by voters in November. And on October 13 and 14, Burns traveled to
Alaska to oppose Measure 2, a measure to allow the state to tax and regulate the sale of marijuana. All of these trips were
widely reported in the local press as being campaign stops in opposition to the reform initiatives.
Use of video news releases
In 2005, the Government Accountability
Office found that the ONDCP had violated anti-propaganda laws by preparing prepackaged
news stories that did not disclose to television viewers that the government had
produced them. According to Susan A. Poling, managing associate general counsel at the GAO, "What is objectionable about these is
the fact the viewer has no idea their tax dollars are being used to write and produce this video segment."
ONDCP supporters such as Representatives Tom Davis and Mark Edward Souder have dismissed such criticism on the grounds that the ONDCP is expressly authorized by
law to conduct anti-drug media campaigns.[15]
Blocking viewer responses to ONDCP ads on YouTube
In September 2006, the ONDCP began running anti-drug messages through the YouTube
System.[16] In response, many YouTube users began
uploading rebuttals and "low-rating" the public service announcements.
Consequently, since mid-September 2006, the ONDCP has removed the ability to directly evaluate, rate or comment on any of their
messages. Users still post their own responses separately however.
List of Directors
The title of Director, as well as the office, was created by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of
1988. The position was raised to cabinet-level
status in 1993.
Legislation and Executive Orders
References
- ^ a b c Kevin
Freking, "Panel Advises Cutting Salaries at Agency", Washington Post, September 12, 2006
- ^ Kevin Freking, "Drug
Use Up for Boomers, Down for Teens", Washington Post, September 7, 2006
- ^ "National Youth
Anti-Drug Media Campaign: How to Ensure the Program Operates Efficiently and Effectively", Testimony to Congress, August 1,
2001
- ^ Shawn Zeller, "Ads, Drugs & Money", Government Executive magazine, September 19, 2003
- ^ Ryan Grim, ["A White House Drug Deal Gone Bad: Sitting on the Negative
Results of a Study of Anti-Marijuna Ads"], Slate magazine, September 7, 2006
- ^ "Monitoring the Future" (MTF) survey, December 2006
- ^ "Coca production up despite record eradication" (MSNBC), June 2006
- ^ "FCC Sends Formal Inquiries To Five Television Networks Allegedly Involved In ONDCP Payola
Scandal", NORML news bulletin, April 20, 2000
- ^ "House Committee To Hold July 11 Hearing On ONDCP Payola Scandal; Salon.com Writer Who Broke The
Story Will Face-Off Against Drug Czar", NORML news bulletin, June 29, 2000
- ^ "FCC Rules In Favor of NORML", NORML News Bulletin, December 28, 2000
- ^ FCC termination of investigation of February 17, 2000 complaint by NORML, letter dated December 20, 2000
- ^ a b c d Prime-time propaganda, January 13, 2000, Salon.com
- ^ "MPP's first victory in 'War on Drug Czar' campaign is short-lived; Nevada Supreme Court order allows Drug Czar to
ignore state campaign finance laws", Marijuana Policy Project
- ^ [1]
- ^ Christopher Lee, "Anti-Drug Office's
Videos Defended: Davis Says Ruling That Law Was Violated Is Wrong", Washington Post, February 4, 2005
- ^ White House Anti-Drug Office Begins Posting Videos on YouTube. Press Release, Office of
National Drug Control Policy, September 19 2006
External links
See also
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