Addictions News Now: May 2009
May 2009
Ending the War on Drugs – Shallow Refrain or Real Intention?
Alcohol Tax to Fund Healthcare Reform…Not so Fast
Obama's First Budget Fails to Indicate Shift in Funding Priorities
Shoveling Up II: The Impact of Substance Abuse on Federal, State and Local Budgets
**Prevention Highlight** Illinois Coalition 'Sticker Shocks' Community
First Group of Board-Certified Addiction-Medicine Specialists Named
Webinar: Federal Funding for Juvenile Justice, Wednesday, June 3 from 3:00-4:30 EST
NIDAMED: NIDA Launches Drug Use Screening Tools for Physicians
New Reports Highlight Economic Benefits of Alternatives to Incarceration
Ending the War on Drugs – Shallow Refrain or Real Intention?
Less than a month since Gil Kerlikowske was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as 'Drug Czar', i.e. Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, he is already making headlines in calling for an end to the use of the drug war analogy. In a recent Q & A with the Wall Street Journal, Kerlikowske said, "Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a war on drugs, or a war on a product, people see a war as a war on them, a war on individuals and we're not at war with people in this country so I think we need to be more comprehensive." In the same interview, Kerlikowske, emphasized his belief – as well as the Administration's – that there's "recognition that resources in the future are going to be needed and also…that there needs to be a broader base view of our drug problem." Unfortunately, this recognition is not yet reflected in the Administration's budget priorities. While the Administration's FY 2010 budget proposal calls for much needed additional investment in criminal justice funding within SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant – the cornerstone of addiction treatment funding – did not receive any increase. Contact your member of Congress today and urge them to support a $150 million increase in the SAPT Block Grant – an investment critical to increasing access to treatment. Click here for the complete interview with Director Kerlikowske.
Alexa Eggleston, JD
Director of Public Policy
ON THE HILL
Alcohol Tax to Fund Healthcare Reform…Not so Fast
Recent press reports and Senate healthcare reform documents indicate that lawmakers are looking at raising the federal tax on alcohol and soft drinks as part of a funding package for national healthcare reform. The cost of expanding healthcare has been estimated at approximately $1.5 trillion over 10 years and Members of Congress are considering increased taxes on "lifestyle choices" that often contribute to increases in healthcare costs. According to the Senate Finance Committee document entitled, "Financing Comprehensive Health Care Reform: Proposed Health System Savings and Revenue Options," such a policy option would impose a uniform tax based on alcohol content. The excise tax under the proposal would be imposed at a rate of $16 per proof gallon on all alcoholic beverages. Join Together has reported that the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. is sponsoring a website to raise a public outcry against higher alcohol taxes, claiming that tax increases threaten manufacturing, wholesale, and retail jobs.
Obama's First Budget Fails to Indicate Shift in Funding Priorities
The first budget plan submitted to Congress by President Obama includes an overall increase in funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) but calls for elimination of the Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFS) State Grants program as part of $17 billion in cuts to programs deemed wasteful or ineffective. In addition, while it calls for a significant increase in the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) for criminal justice activities, including "$59 million to expand the treatment capacity of drug courts," an increase of $35 million, few other programs received increases. The increase in criminal justice funding will also include a new $15 million Ex-Offender Re-entry program to build on previous and ongoing SAMHSA adult and juvenile criminal justice initiatives. The Re-entry program will support an estimated 29 new re-entry grants, provide grantee technical assistance, and allow initiation of a cross-site evaluation of the program.
The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant would not receive an increase in the President's budget – a trend consistent with the past Administration. Other past SAMHSA priorities that would continue under the budget are $29 million to integrate Screening and Brief Interventions into general medical settings and $99 million for a new cohort of Access to Recovery (ATR) grants. ATR is designed to be a consumer-driven mechanism that: 1) expands capacity, 2) promotes choice, and 3) enhances accountability within substance abuse treatment systems. Other CSAT programs that would receive level funding include the Pregnant & Postpartum Women program which would receive $16 million and the Treatment Systems for Homeless which would receive $42.7 million. For additional information on SAMHSA's budget please visit their website. For additional information about funding priorities of the National Council see the National Council's budget chart.
IN THE NEWS
Shoveling Up II: The Impact of Substance Abuse on Federal, State and Local Budgets
Substance abuse and addiction cost federal, state and local governments at least $467.7 billion in 2005, according to Shoveling Up II: The Impact of Substance Abuse on Federal, State and Local Budgets, a new 287-page report released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. The CASA report found that of $373.9 billion in federal and state spending, 95.6 percent ($357.4 billion) went to shovel up the consequences and human wreckage of substance abuse and addiction; only 1.9 percent went to prevention and treatment, 0.4 percent to research, 1.4 percent to taxation and regulation, and 0.7 percent to interdiction. The report is the first ever to assess the costs of tobacco, alcohol and illegal and prescription drug abuse at all levels of government.
**Prevention Highlight** Illinois Coalition 'Sticker Shocks' Community
Join Together recently reported that Project Sticker Shock volunteers visited liquor retailers in over 50 counties throughout the state of Illinois as part of Alcohol Awareness Month, with many participating in "Sticker Shock Day" on April 2. The Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) provided materials for the campaign through funds from its "Don't Be Sorry" educational program. "We want to send the message that the community does not approve of providing alcohol to minors," said Jason Blanchette, community prevention coordinator of Chestnut Health Systems, (a National Council member agency), who headed up the program in Mason County."
First Group of Board-Certified Addiction-Medicine Specialists Named
In a significant achievement for the addiction field, the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) recently named the first group of board-certified addiction-medicine specialists, recognizing 1,240 doctors who previously had been certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). ABAM, formed in 2007, is the only national medical board dedicated exclusively to addiction medicine, with a mission that includes setting standards for physician education, assessing physicians' knowledge, and facilitating continuing education. ABAM certification will be offered to physicians in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Surgery, Preventive Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology and other medical specialties. Full article can be viewed online.
Redeploy Illinois Goes Statewide: Expands Community-based Alternatives to Incarcerating Youthful Offenders
Governor Pat Quinn recently signed into law legislation to make permanent the pilot Redeploy Illinois Program. The Program supports community-based alternatives to incarcerating juvenile offenders. The Program provides funding to counties across the state to deliver individualized services for young offenders such as therapy, substance abuse treatment, and life skills education. The new law also encourages victim offender panels, teen courts, community service, and other restorative justice measures. The Fact Sheet and additional information about the initiative can be viewed online.
RESOURCES AND REMINDERS
Webinar: Federal Funding for Juvenile Justice, Wednesday, June 3 from 3:00-4:30 EST
Federal funding for juvenile justice programs has experienced a dramatic deterioration in recent years. Join a special collaborative effort from Voices, National Juvenile Justice Network , and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice as they review the president's FY 2010 budget request and place it in the context of recent and historical federal juvenile justice funding. For more information and to register for the call please click here.
NIDAMED: NIDA Launches Drug Use Screening Tools for Physicians
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has unveiled its first comprehensive Physicians' Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED, which gives medical professionals tools and resources to screen their patients for tobacco, alcohol, illicit, and nonmedical prescription drug use. The NIDAMED resources include an online screening tool, a companion quick reference guide, and a comprehensive resource guide for clinicians. The initiative stresses the importance of the patient-doctor relationship in identifying unhealthy behaviors before they evolve into life threatening conditions.
New Reports Highlight Economic Benefits of Alternatives to Incarceration
States could improve public safety and save millions of dollars by investing in community-based alternatives, according to two new research briefs released by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI). With states facing serious budgetary constraints, these reports offer policymakers more effective juvenile and criminal justice frameworks to guide them in making difficult budget decisions. The Costs of Confinement: Why Good Juvenile Justice Policies Make Good Fiscal Sense finds that states spend about $5.7 billion each year imprisoning youth, even though the majority are held for nonviolent offenses. The brief concludes that most youth could be managed safely in the community through alternatives that cost substantially less than incarceration and could lower recidivism by up to 22 percent. According to Pruning Prisons: How Cutting Corrections Can Save Money and Protect Public Safety, similar benefits can be found in the adult system through investments in treatment and parole services. States could save a combined $4.1 billion by increasing the availability of parole by shifting 10 percent of the prison population into the parole system, and improving parole support and services so that fewer people are returned to prison for technical (rule) violations. Both reports can be downloaded online.
Run for Recovery, Run for the Children, The Voices of Hope and Promise, Healing Families and Communities
Faces & Voices of Recovery and the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) are national organizations that support and give hope to individuals, children and families across the country who are struggling with the impact of addiction to alcohol and other drugs, and to those who know the reality of long-term recovery. This year Faces & Voices of Recovery and the National Association for Children of Alcoholics are partnering for the 34th Marine Corps Marathon to raise public awareness and celebrate and honor recovery in all its diversity. For more information visit their website.
