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Different Agencies That Fight Drug Abuse

Substance abuse is rampant in the United States. The abuse of drugs and additional substances such as steroids has led to the development of agencies whose purpose it is to combat addiction and to promote recovery.

  1. Government Agencies

    • Government agencies may be organized by local, state or federal officials. Federal agencies tend to be able to support more programs than local ones. An example of a drug-abuse agency at the federal level is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This agency gives millions of dollars every year to drug-abuse programs.

    Supplemental Organizations

    • Nongovernment organizations supplement the anti-drug work done by government agencies. They are much smaller than government agencies in general and tend not to have as much funding as a result. They rely primarily on donations, but they are also eligible to receive grants. They often focus on a particular drug that is a problem in a certain area. An example is Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

    Services

    • It is not uncommon for federal or state agencies to offer such services as paid hospital/rehabilitation facility stays, therapy, substance-abuse meetings and medical evaluation. Smaller agencies may limit their services to providing simple brochures about a drug or set of drugs and where to find treatment. Both government agencies and nongovernment organizations sponsor speakers and assemblies in institutions such as medical schools, pharmaceutical companies and public schools. For agencies and organizations that are Internet-based, chat forums are common.

    Cost of Access and Operation

    • Cost of accessing an agency or organization devoted to drug prevention and rehabilitation can be as little as nothing (e.g., website access from a library computer), especially if the group is a locally run nonprofit organization. However, the cost of operating an agency or organization can be extremely high because workers need to be paid or supplies and services (e.g., paper and printing of brochures) must be purchased.

    Need

    • According to the national drug abuse profile published online by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, although use of drugs is down, more than a third of all people 12 or older still have abused a substance.

    Internet

    • Agencies that fight drug and alcohol abuse are forming task forces to combat online drug sales. An example of this is Operation Gray Lord, a task force put together by the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2003 to combat the online sale of narcotics.

    Integration

    • Agencies that fight drug and alcohol abuse are taking a more integrated approach than they have in the past. The idea is that more can be done when the agencies work together. An example of agency integration is an agreement between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that is designed to reduce drug trafficking.

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