The Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy called Wednesday for more attention on the treatment side of the nation's efforts to combat drug abuse.
R. Gil Kerlikowske, the Drug Czar, said that the Obama administration was moving away from thinking about efforts to combat illegal drug use as a war.
"We are moving away from divisive 'drug war' rhetoric and focusing on employing all the tools at our disposal to get help to those who need it," Kerlikowske said. "We recognize addiction is a disease and are seeking public health solutions. My top priority is to intensify efforts to reduce the demand for drugs which fuels crime and violence around the world."
Kerlikowske, a former police chief in Seattle, said that he has seen the "terrible impact" that drugs have on families and communities.
"The earlier we can intervene to get people help, the better," he said. "We will be expanding … existing efforts and working to ensure drug treatment services are incorporated into our national health care reform process."
He added, "Further, we will make sure those caught up in our criminal justice system due to their involvement in drugs will get the help they need."
The nation can no longer afford to simply throw addicts who commit crimes in jail, Kerlikowske said.
"We must seize the opportunity to provide evidence-based treatment, either out of jail through diversionary programs like drug courts or while in jail, to set them on the path to recovery," he said.
Kerlikowske also pledged to work internationally to stop the flow of drugs and to bring violent drug traffickers to justice, while also working to stop the flow of weapons to those criminals.
"There is much to be done, but I believe we are on the right track with current and new initiatives to make the drug problem smaller for the United States and the world," he said.
Kerlikowske's sentiments track closely with a new United Nations report on drugs released Wednesday.
U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said that countries should not have to choose between public health and security for their citizens in combating drugs, warning that legalizing drugs in an effort to deprive criminals of resources would be a mistake.
"Illicit drugs pose a danger to health," Costa said. "That's why drugs are and must remain, controlled."
He also said that legalizing drugs completely would unleash an "epidemic" of use and abuse and that strictly regulating drugs only creates a parallel illicit trade in substances.
"Societies should not have to choose between protecting public health or public security," he said. "They can and should do both."
Costa also called for universal access to drug treatment as those with serious drug problems make up the bulk of the market.
"People who take drugs need medical help, not criminal retribution," he said.
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