DRUG CONTROL SUMMIT 2000 - FOCUS ON TREATMENT
Editors Note: This is one in a three-part series of
Drug Control Summit news releases. This release
focuses on treatment, the remaining releases will focus on prevention
and law enforcement.
TALLAHASSEE - Building on the successful efforts of the
1999 Drug Control Summit, Senate President Toni Jennings, Speaker of the
House John Thrasher and the Governor's Office of Drug Control are putting
final touches on Drug Control Summit 2000 - and are emphasizing an increase
in substance abuse treatment for an estimated 700,000 Floridians addicted
to drugs.
Drug Control Summit 2000, which convenes February 11, will
bring together a cross-section of Florida's drug control community - treatment
providers, community leaders, educators, law enforcement officials and
policy makers - to discuss reducing illegal drug use.
"Treatment is one essential element in the battle against
drugs," President Jennings said. "Combining drug treatment with education
and prevention measures will help Florida move toward our goal of reducing
drug use in our state."
"Escalating drug use coupled with the increasing influx
of illegal drugs across our borders makes attendance at the upcoming Drug
Summit imperative for all public officials who play a role in this never
ending war," Speaker Thrasher said.
"Last year was a good start, but we still have a long way
to go before we can adequately meet the need for treatment services,"
Office of Drug Control Director Jim McDonough said. "I'm looking to the
drug summit to create continued momentum that will carry us into the legislative
session."
Helping chronic drug users overcome dependency has long
been recognized as an effective means of drug control. But the amount
of treatment services in Florida's communities has not kept up with demand.
Community-based programs in FY 1997-98 served only 16 percent
of adults and 23 percent of children needing treatment statewide. The
waiting time for community-based treatment can be as long as 12 weeks.
In 1999, Senate President Toni Jennings led the charge to
raise drug treatment funding to $175 million, and is looking to further
reduce the wait for treatment during the upcoming legislative session.
Governor Jeb Bush's proposed FY 2000-2001 budget calls for
an increase of $28.9 million budget over the current fiscal year. The
Governor proposes substantial increases in community-based, juvenile and
state prison treatment programs as well as drug courts, which use the
coercive power of the law to treat non-violent drug offenders. The budget
is available on the Governor's Website: www.flgov.com.
Substance abuse treatment is a key component of the 1999
Florida Drug Control Strategy - Governor Bush's plan to cut substance
abuse in half by 2004.
The National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study, which
looked at treatment effectiveness in the 1990's, reported that patients
served by federally funded treatment programs were able to reduce their
drug use by about 50 percent for as long as one year after leaving treatment.
Among other findings in the study:
- Cocaine use decreased from 40 percent before treatment to 18 percent
one year after treatment.
- Heroin use - which some experts believe to be the most treatment-resistant
drug - was reduced by nearly half from 24 percent to 13.
- Crack use went down 50 percent between the 12 months before treatment
and the 12 months after.
In Florida, the Department of Children & Families, in a 1998 study, found
the average quarterly earnings for adults completing treatment to be 35
percent higher than those who dropped out of treatment.
# # #
| 
