Promising Strategies To Reduce Substance Abuse

• NCJ Number: 183152
• Date Published: September 2000
• Length: 94 pages
• Agencies: OJP

Annotation

This assessment of the most effective strategies used nationwide to reduce illicit drug and alcohol abuse and related crimes is intended to guide communities by identifying the core elements of promising strategies and illustrating these strategies with examples of programs that are making a difference locally; programs were selected to represent urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Abstract

Prevention, treatment, and law enforcement strategies, discussed in separate chapters, act in concert with one another, comprehensively addressing substance abuse in various contexts. Collaboration among law enforcement, health, and social service agencies can help reduce demand, which fuels drug trafficking activities, often involving violence and crime. Treating addicts and preventing the onset of drug use can complement law enforcement efforts to reduce supply. Most of the promising programs highlighted in the report have existed for at least 3 years, demonstrating their durability. All of the programs have been successful in meeting their goals. For each program the report provides information vital to community replication, broken down into four categories. A program description outlines the goals and logistics of the program. A section on "challenges" describes the obstacles to implementing and/or operating the program, and in most cases how those obstacles were overcome or are currently being addressed. A section on "costs" outlines either the annual budget of the program or the cost of serving an individual over the course of the program. Finally, a section on "program results" details the effectiveness of the program in meeting goals and objectives. 103 notes