ONDCP would like to thank all the loyal readers of Pushing Back for making this blog a success. Each month, we receive a tremendous amount of web traffic from citizens like you. As we announced earlier this month, we have made substantial progress in reducing illegal drug use in America. We hope that you will continue to work with us to build upon our success in 2006.

Soon, we will be adding to the features we provide you through Pushing Back, including an exciting new initiative Director Walters will announce next month. In the meantime, here's a rundown of all the great things that have happened over the past year in the world of drug policy.

We wish you a happy, drug-free New Year.

January

• ONDCP launches first Cabinet-agency blog. Website averages over 100,000 visits per month.

February

• 2005 National Drug Control Strategy is released in Miami, Florida. During a visit to the first drug treatment court in the nation, Director Walters builds on the 18 percent decline in marijuana use and announces a balanced strategy of prevention, treatment, and law enforcement.
• ONDCP hosts a strategic workgroup session with mayors of major U.S. cities to discuss city specific and strategic responses to local drug problems.

March

• Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government reassesses its decision to downgrade pot as a low risk drug after a New Zealand study found that marijuana use can create “a clear increase in rates of psychotic symptoms after the start of regular use." The study followed more than one thousand individuals over 25 years.
• Seventeen-year-old Shacoya performs her original poetry in a new anti-drug ad that debuted on Fox's "American Idol." The ad is among the most liked of the season.
• Drug Czar embarks on a 5-nation European mission and visits Amsterdam’s “Red Light” district. During the tour, Director Walters sees first-hand the efforts being undertaken by Dutch authorities to limit the number of marijuana “coffee shops” in the Netherlands. Also sees European governments unite to combat so-called “harm reduction” policies.

April

• ONDCP launches series of drug testing summits to distribute information about the success of drug testing. Summits in St. Louis, Dallas, and Pittsburgh contribute to the number of school districts beginning to implement random drug testing policies to prevent young people from using drugs.
• Drug Czar visits Afghanistan to oversee international efforts to reduce poppy cultivation. United eradication efforts there lead to an eventual 48 percent reduction in poppy cultivation.
• ONDCP partners with leading public health organizations to run ads aimed at parents of teens to discuss increased potency and hazardous compounds of marijuana. The ads run in New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and other publications around the country.
• DEA’s Target America museum opens up in Detroit. Museum educates hundreds of thousands of visitors about the connections between the drug trade and terrorism.

May

• During a visit to a drug treatment center in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Tony Blair denounces efforts to lossen marijuana laws. Blair states that, “I think that’s just crackers as a policy”
• International experts gather in Washington, D.C. to warn the public about the growing body of evidence showing the effects of marijuana use on mental health. New studies find, among other things, that young people who use marijuana weekly double their risk of developing depression and that marijuana use in some teens is linked to increased risk for schizophrenia in later years.
• ONDCP releases “Who’s Really in Prison for Marijuana?” New publication dispels the myth that our prisons are filled individuals arrested for marijuana possesion.

June

• Pro-marijuana advocates suffer a huge loss when the Supreme Courts rules 6-3 against so-called “medical” marijuana. Court finds that Federal authorities may prosecute drug dispensaries that distribute non-FDA approved drugs.
• Fallout from the Supreme Court decision continues over the next year as dozens of California cities and counties including San Francisco, San Diego, Fresno and Sausalito pass or begin considering moratoriums on allowing pot clubs to operate in their communities.
• ONDCP’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign wins “Effie” award from the New York American Marketing Association, the highest honor for a public service campaign.
• Hinchey and Rohrabacher Amendment Fails on House Floor. Amendment would have prohibited the Department of Justice from using funds to prevent the States of Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, or Washington from implementing state "medical" marijuana laws.

July

• The United States and the Netherlands sign agreement to share information and reduce drug use. The agreement facilitates the exchange of information on drug prevention programs and research coordination, particularly on the health risks of high-THC cannabis.
• Attempts to legalize marijuana in Iowa City, Iowa fail as their City Council votes against the measure promoted by pro-drug advocates.

August

• Administration officials including Attorney General Gonzales, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, and Director Walters gather in Nashville, TN to discuss Administration’s united effort against Methamphetamine. Administration launches www.MethResources.gov as part of the effort to bring communities together against meth.

September

• New DEA report shows that the price of South American heroin on U.S. streets increased and the purity decreased as a result of aggressive anti-drug action in Colombia.
• New survey finds further declines in youth drug use. The National Survey on Drug use and Health finds a 9 percent decline in illicit drug use among American youth between the ages of 12 and 17 from 2002 to 2004. Marijuana use declines by 7 percent among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 during this same period.
• President Bush designates Burma and Venezuela as countries which have failed demonstrably to adhere to international counterdrug agreements.
• Director Walters announces that over 700 communities across the Nation will receive over $170 million in grants for community based drug prevention efforts.

October

• Open Letter to Parents About Marijuana and Academic Success runs in newspapers nationwide. Fourteen health and education organizations across the country sign on to the letter warning parents about drug use and academic success.
• DEA Administrator Karen Tandy announces the culmination of the first phase of Operation Long Wine. The operation begins to target major methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking organizations based on the East Coast.
• United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) unanimously approves a landmark international convention combating drug use in sport at its 33rd General Conference in Paris.
• Number of school-based drug testing programs continues to increase. ONDCP and the U.S. Department of Education release over $7 million in Federal grants for more schools to implement random testing programs.
• Empire State Building is lit in red to honor the memory of slain DEA agent “Kiki” Camarena as part of Red Ribbon week.

November

• The Partnership for a Drug Free America and ONDCP launch a joint education campaign about the dangers of methamphetamine. Anti-meth ads run in dozens of cities.
• Cocaine gets more expensive. After returning from overseeing anti-drug efforts in Colombia, Director Walters releases new data showing an increase in the price and a decrease in the purity of cocaine on U.S. streets.
• Attempts by several nations to remove cannabinoids from World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List of Substances fail as WADA's Executive Board adopts a 2006 Prohibited List that continues to recognize the pernicious nature of marijuana.
• The United States is unanimously re-elected to represent 42 nations for a second term on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s governing Executive Committee.
• The National Youth Anti-drug Media Campaign launches the new “Above the Influence” ad campaign. AbovetheInfluence.com receives over 1.5 million visits and the ads are ranked as the “most-liked” by independent advertising research companies.
• Dramatic success in Afghanistan. New survey released shows that 107,400 hectares of poppy were cultivated during the crop season in 2005—a decline of 48 percent over the 2004 level.

December

• End of 2005 marks another record year for seizures of cocaine. As of December, over 230 metric tons were seized by the Coast Guard en route to the U.S.
• Drug Czar and Midwestern Governors convene summit to combat meth in Indianapolis, IN.
• Major League Baseball becomes the fourth U.S.-based professional league to strengthen its drug testing program. The new testing program follows several congressional hearings on steroid use in professional sports and the dangers posed to young people by steroids.
• DEA announces largest steroid bust in history. Operation Gear Grinder leads to arrest of 28 people and roughly 80 percent of the steroids coming into the United States illegally.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse releases the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey which shows more decreases in teen drug use. Overall decline for 2005 reaches 19 percent over 4 years with dramatic reductions in meth and steroid use as well.

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe's security policies have made a huge positive impact in Colombia. Reuters is reporting that the gains he has made in reducing human rights atrocities like murder and kidnapping have dropped yet again. From Reuters:

"The number of people killed in Colombia, one of the hemisphere's most violent countries, dropped in 2005 for the third time in as many years to its lowest point in nearly two decades, police said.

A total of 17,726 people were killed in Colombia this year, 12 percent fewer than in 2004. It was the lowest number of killings since 1987 and considerably fewer than the 28,837 in 2002 when President Alvaro Uribe began cracking down on drug-running Marxist rebels, police said.

Kidnappings, meanwhile, fell 47 percent to 758 compared to 1,442 in 2004. It was a far cry from the mid-1990s, when Colombia averaged some 3,000 abductions a year."

The government of Colombia has recently launched http://www.sharedresponsibility.gov.co, a new website to promote what we believe is our "shared responsibility" to reduce the threat from drug use and international drug trafficking.

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Treatment providers are on the front lines of dealing with the consequences of drug use. They often are the ones who know most about the devastating consequences of drug addiction. A CBS affiliate in Wisconsin reports on another treatment provider that is concerned about the increase in marijuana potency.

"The truth of it is, it's eight times more powerful than it was back in the 1970s," says Dale Christensen, Director of Drug/Alcohol Treatment at North Central Healthcare.

Christensen says today pot is grown in a way to increase the hallucinogenic effects and some studies show today's marijuana can cause anything from permanent short term memory loss to mental illnesses like schizophrenia."

Today’s marijuana is twice as strong as it was in the mid-1980’s. The increasing strength of today’s marijuana may be linked to increasing mentions of marijuana in hospital emergency rooms. The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a national surveillance system that monitors trends in drug-related emergency department visits and deaths, and is operated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. DAWN emergency room mentions of marijuana have increased nationally from twenty thousand in the late 80’s to nearly 120,000 in 2002.

After New Jersey Governor Codey announced last week that high school athletes whose teams qualify for state tournaments would be randomly student drug tested two Oregon lawmakers support the decision.

Although no proposal is imminent, two Oregon legislators, including Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said after learning of New Jersey's radical new steroid policy that they would embrace such a plan for Oregon.

"I have no qualms about doing something like this," Courtney said. "Anything we can do to make a strong statement to young people that supplements and steroids and drugs are bad, we should consider doing."

Added Rick Metsger, D-Welches: "I think this is an excellent idea."

Read the complete article in the Oregonian. For more information on Student Drug Testing, visit the ONDCP Web site.

Click here to see more slides. The slides are also available in PowerPoint.

On Monday, NIDA and Director Walters announced dramatic declines in youth drug use. Overall use among young people is down 19 percent since 2001. One of the categories which have shown the sharpest declines is youth steroid use. According to the survey, the use of steroids was down 38 percent, 37 percent, and 30 percent for lifetime, past year, and past month use.

Schools across the nation are taking the threat of drugs seriously. Yesterday, New Jersey became the first state to test high school athletes for steroids.

The Newark Star-Ledger reports:

"The plan, which will take effect in the fall of 2006, calls for the random testing of athletes whose teams qualify for their respective sport's state tournaments. It would affect roughly 10,000 athletes next fall.

"As a parent, and coach, this isn't an issue we can ignore," Codey said during a press conference at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange. "We don't have the luxury to put this off or leave it for someone else to deal with."

Clearly, this is a sign that political leaders and parents have growing confidence that random testing reduces drug use and saves lives. We hope that other school districts across the nation will join the effort to protect our young people by randomly testing for illegal drugs.

Click here to see more slides. The slides are also available in PowerPoint.

This year's Monitoring the Future Survey shows that America's balanced strategy to reduce drug use is working. In fact, new figures show that overall drug use is down by 19 percent since 2001. This amounts to almost 700,000 fewer young people using drugs today than in 2001. Meth and steroid use are also dramatically down, showing that when we push back against the drug problem, it gets smaller.

Here are some other findings from the report, released today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C:

• Marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug among teens, yet usage rates are declining. Marijuana use dropped in all three categories: lifetime (13%), past year (15%), and 30-day use (19%). Current use of marijuana decreased 28 percent among 8th graders (from 9.2% to 6.6%), and 23 percent among 10th graders (from 19.8% to 15.2%)
• Declines in current use of hallucinogens and LSD use by nearly two thirds and current Ecstasy (MDMA) use by nearly two thirds
• The use of alcohol by youth, including those who report having been drunk, is also down since 2001
• Use of cigarettes is down in all four categories (lifetime, past month, daily, and ½ pack + per day) in all three grades
• A decrease in some categories of club drugs, including rohypnol, GHB, and ketamine

Steroids confiscated in the investigation were marketed to be used with animals via public web sites.

Great news for America's youth. Thanks to aggressive law enforcement action, a Federal grand jury was able to indict 23 people who are accused of producing and distributing a sizable amount of steroids illegally smuggled into the U.S. DEA lead the investigation as part of Operation Gear Grinder.

Operation Gear Grinder is a 21-month Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation that targeted eight major steroid manufacturing companies, their owners, and their trafficking associates. By reviewing the sources of all seized and analyzed steroids submitted to the DEA’s forensic laboratories, DEA intelligence analysts and diversion investigators found that 82 percent of the steroids seized and analyzed are of Mexican origin. A large majority of those 82 percent seized and analyzed steroids originate from the eight companies identified in Operation Gear Grinder. These businesses conducted their sales via the Internet, and DEA estimates their combined total U.S. steroid sales are $56 million per year. Read more about the DEA operation.

The AP reports:

"SAN DIEGO—Five Mexican men were in custody Thursday and 18 others were being sought in what federal authorities called the largest illegal steroid bust in history.

A federal grand jury in San Diego indicted 23 individuals, including three U.S. citizens, and eight Mexican companies accused of producing and distributing 80 percent of the steroids illegally smuggled into the United States. Charges included conspiracy to import anabolic steroids and launder money.

One of the men in custody, Albert Saltiel Cohen, a Mexico City veterinarian, owned three companies that accounted for three-fourths of the anabolic steroids seized in the United States, said prosecutor Shane Harrigan.

Learn more about steroids on the ONDCP Web site.

Director Walters traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana today to discuss the Administration's response to meth use.

Here's a report from local ABC affiliate WOI-TV:

"INDIANAPOLIS The nation's drug czar says limits on buying pseudoephedrine and 70 million dollars for drug courts will help fight the spread of meth.

Both are included in the federal Patriot Act. The U.S. House is expected to pass a bill that would renew more than a dozen provisions of the Patriot Act due to expire December 31st."

Our National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is not only effective, but it turns out it's pretty well-liked, also. Ad Age magazine reports that not one, but TWO new ONDCP "Above the Influence" ads ranked among the most-liked new TV spots. (Free registration required) "Fist in Mouth" and "Transformation" ranked 6th and 7th among the top ten most-liked ads on TV between November 7th and December 4th.

The survey was conducted by IAG research and the score was determined by a sampling of TV viewers who report to like "a lot" an ad they were exposed to during the normal course of viewing TV (among those recalling the brand of the ad).

To see the ads visit www.abovetheinfluence.com

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Nearly four months ago in Nashville, Attorney General Gonzales, Secretary Leavitt and Director Walters asked Congress for Federal legislation to combat the threat of methamphetamine. Now, Congress is about to pass important anti-meth legislation as part of the PATRIOT ACT. The legislation would require, among many other things, that;

• Pseudoephedrine (the raw ingredient for meth) be kept behind the counter or in a locked case;
• A logbook; and
• A certification process for businesses selling the product

The bill also includes increased criminal penalties for meth production and trafficking and addresses the harmful impact meth has to the environment.

The Associated Press covers the upcoming passage:

"This gives us a national reach," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

He said the act allows authorities to better track meth movement and other illegal substances that create additions and destroy families.

"There are local uses for terror, particularly drug trafficking," Walters said.

"We need to cut it off early ... and stop the harm."

Under the provisions, stores would be required to keep medicines like Sudafed and Nyquil behind the counter and consumers would be limited to 3.6 grams, or about 120 pills, per day and 9 grams, or about 300 pills, a month. Purchasers would also need to show a photo ID and sign a logbook.

Those limits target meth dealers who buy large quantities of the drugs to extract the pseudoephedrine.

The measure is a compromise reached after months of haggling over the 30-day limit. Sens. Jim Talent, R-Mo., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who pushed the legislation in the Senate, insisted the limit was needed to curb the meth epidemic."

For more information on methamphetamine, visit MethResources.gov

Click here to see more photos

Some great photos from last month's Operation High Step. Operation High Step revealed a sophisticated method of heroin trafficking into the U.S. - the traffickers secreted concealed bricks of the heroin inside of the porcelain frames of paintings, which drug dealers would then shatter to retrieve the drugs for sale. The drug traffickers in this Operation also smuggled the heroin into the U.S. by concealing shipments in furniture, shoes, and clothing. They sewed heroin into the lining of clothing and the soles of shoes shipped across American borders.

On December 5th, ONDCP Deputy Director Scott Burns unveiled the new communications campaign targeting methamphetamine, along with Partnership for a Drug Free America, in Louisville, KY. The new advertising campaign, which includes hard-hitting ads for television, print and radio, is designed to mobilize individuals and local community groups to reduce meth use at the local level. The campaign highlights the unusual, hard-to-detect hazards posed by meth labs and meth abuse. The ad campaign is rolling out in 23 major U.S. cities.

To view press coverage of Louisville, KY, click on links below:

• WAVE 3
• The Courier-Journal
• The Madison Courier

To see the NEW meth ads visit MethResources.gov or the PDFA Web site.

Our Deputy Director Mary Ann Solberg's own Troy Community Coalition for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse has had enough of pro-marijuana messages and has taken action against a local retailer in their community. The Detroit Free Press reports:

"Until this week, you could find a recipe for the marijuana-laced sweets in a cookbook sold at the newly opened Urban Outfitters at the Somerset Collection in Troy.

But the hip store—which caters to the trendy high school and college crowd with cool clothes, edgy books and games, and funky home decorations—pulled "The Marijuana Chef Cookbook" by S.T. Oner after a Troy group complained.

Teenagers and other shoppers "didn't go there specifically to be exposed to that," said Ann Comiskey, executive director of the Troy Community Coalition for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the group that raised concerns to Urban Outfitters' local managers.

"They went there to buy clothes or a handbag. They went to buy a T-shirt and, 'Oh, by the way, here's a book on marijuana.' "

This is a great example of what community coalitions around the country are doing to make the drug problem in America smaller. What have you done to push back against the drug problem in your community? Send us your stories by clicking on "send comments" at the end of this post.

A follow up from yesterday's post about the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs. Today's Washington Post Express (PDF, see page 11), reports that a local driver who hit a building and then dragged a pregnant woman about a dozen feet was under the influence of marijuana. Pro-marijuana groups hoping to convince Americans to make the drug more available through legalization fail to mention how marijuana causes serious damage to innocent people.

"Investigators found that William L. Moran, 30, of Rockville, was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident. Moran's truck hit another truck at the corner of Rockville Pike and West Edmonston Drive, went across three lanes of traffic, hit the woman and dragged her, than ran into the glass doors of the building, police said."

The pregnant woman is now being treated for serious injuries sustained in the accident. Marijuana: harmless?

For more information on how to talk to your kids about marijuana, visit our Steer Clear of Pot page.

Yesterday, ONDCP promoted its “Steer Clear of Pot” campaign by announcing its partnership with driving schools and other leading health, safety and youth-serving organizations to warn parents of the prevalence and dangers of drugged driving and to provide information to help teens “Steer Clear of Pot.” Each day, more than 9,000 new driver’s licenses are issued to 16- and 17-year-olds nationwide, the very same age group that is at greatest risk for marijuana use, and a 2005 survey reveals that these teens say that cars are the second most popular place for smoking marijuana.

“Parents need to realize that drugged driving is nearly as common today among teens as alcohol-impaired driving,” said John P. Walters, Director, National Drug Control Policy. “Marijuana impairs many of the skills required for safe driving, such as concentration, coordination, perception and reaction time, and these effects can last up to 24 hours after smoking the drug—It is critical that parents know the dangers associated with drugged driving and are vigilant in monitoring their teen drivers, especially young, less experienced drivers.”

In addition, during this holiday season the Department of Labor encourages employers to adopt a safe and sober approach to workplace parties this Holiday Season. Through their Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace program the Department of Labor encourages employers to take steps during the holidays and all year round to prevent impaired driving and send their employees a safe and sober message about workplace parties and drinking.