COUNTERDRUG: ONDCP DIRECTOR WALTERS IN LONDON

UNCLAS LONDON 006159 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHITE HOUSE FOR ONDCP SISSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR UK SUBJECT: COUNTERDRUG: ONDCP DIRECTOR WALTERS IN LONDON AUGUST 8-9 DISCUSSING U.S. NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICIES ¶1. Summary. The Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy John Walters was in London August 8-9 to present at an international demand reduction conference entitled: "The Future of Drug Policies Globally - UNGASS 2008 and Beyond: Reconciling Research with Reality, Rights with Responsibilities." In addition to his remarks on U.S. efforts to meet UNGASS drug demand and supply goals for 2008 he also met with UK representatives and exchanged U.S.-UK experiences with student drug testing and drug courts. Director Walters and Minister of State for Schools Jim Knight discussed drug testing in schools, its benefits to serve as a deterrent and to identify and get help for those early in dependency, as well as the challenges encountered in implementing these programs. Knight broached the idea of a visit to the U.S. to learn about these programs and U.S. programs to reduce weapons in schools. During his conference remarks Director Walters highlighted U.S. achieved goals to reduce drug use. He also echoed UNODC's concern for rising potency of marijuana and commended Colombia and Afghanistan for the work that they have done to reduce illicit drug production in their countries. In a meeting with several officials from the West London District Court Officials on their Pilot Drug Court Initiatives Director Walters explained how the U.S. uses the criminal justice system as a tool in achieving treatment referral and recovery by enlisting the power of the courts to effect supervised treatment rather than jail. As a result of the meeting ONDCP has arranged for Senior Judge Justin Philips who will be in Washington the week of September 4 to visit a drug court. End Summary. -------------- Student Drug Testing -------------- ¶2. The Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy John Walters and Minister of State for Schools Jim Knight met on August 8 in London. Joining Knight from the Department of State for Education and Skills were Charles Deighton-Fox, Knight's Private Secretary; Helen Bird, policy official from the Personal, Social and Health Education Team; Tania Rawle, policy official from the Substance Misuse Team; and Colin Willis, International Visits Team. Joining Walters were Brian Blake, ONDCP Senior Advisor; Charlotte Sisson, ONDCP Policy Analyst; Rafael Lemaitre, ONDCP Deputy Press Secretary, and Emboff as notetaker. SIPDIS ¶3. Random drug testing in schools is not widespread in the UK according to Knight. The success though of a voluntary testing program at a Kent school prompted HMG to launch a scientific study of that school's program to document drug testing's benefits in improving school performance. While Knight does not envision HMG requiring schools to begin random drug testing of students he does want schools to have the information they need to make informed decisions on testing. ¶4. Director Walters reviewed the Administration's support of Student Drug Testing as a key tool in addressing drug use and the federal grants that have been awarded over the past few years. He further explained that the disease of addiction spreads through non-addicted users, from peer to peer and disrupts the learning environment for all students. Schools test for tuberculosis and other communicable diseases because of the public health threat and that testing for drug use extends those same protective factors. Parents, school administrators, and educators are not powerless against the drug problem. Random drug testing of high school students gives students who are under peer pressure from drug-using peers an excuse to say 'no' and provides parents with help in keeping their children drug-free. Walters stressed that the testing is non-punitive and that positive test results are never provided to police. The goal is to both serve as a deterrent and to identify and get help for those early in dependency. ¶5. Knight outlined the obstacles to widespread drug testing of students in the UK. Knight noted the UK's human rights legislation would preclude a school from requiring testing. He also stated that British confidentiality and data-sharing regulations made it difficult to share information among the different agencies which assist children. Knight also described the concerns of some who feel that searching students for weapons and then testing them for drugs gives children sense they are being "locked-up" when they go to school. ¶6. Knight was interested in learning of any U.S. studies which showed the absence rate in schools where drug testing takes place and the rate of participation in extra-curricular activities in schools with drug testing. Walters gave the example of Polk County School in Florida that started testing student athletes in 1997 and saw marijuana use drop by 24%. In Polk County, random drug testing has not discouraged extracurricular participation - 448 more students tried out for sports in 2005 than in 2004, and 319 more students tried out for sports in 2004 than in 2003. In the U.S., 46% of schools with Random Student Drug Testing programs reported increases in student participation in athletic activities and 45% reported increases in extracurricular activities. ¶7. Knight remarked that he is interested in visiting the U.S. to examine American procedures for dealing with weapons in schools and the use of random drug testing in U.S. schools. -------------- Demand Reduction Conference -------------- ¶8. ONDCP Director Walters spoke at the August 9 international conference "The Future of Drug Policies Globally - UNGASS 2008 and Beyond: Reconciling Research with Reality, Rights with Responsibilities" organized by MOTGIFT International, the European Cities Against Drugs (ECAD), London Drug Policy Forum, Institute on Global Drug Policy and others. The purpose of the day long conference was to support the UN conventions on drugs and examine how harm reduction policies undermine the conventions. Other speakers included representatives from anti-legalization NGOs, UNODC, UK government, U.S. Department of State, as well as Habibullah Qaderi, Afghanistan's Minister of Counter Narcotics and Raymond Yans, Director, Drug Unit (MFA/Belgium),former Chair, Dublin Group Member, and new to the International Narcotics Control Board. ¶9. UNODC Policy Analysis and Research Branch Chief, Sandeep Chawla, spoke before Director Walters at the conference on UNODC Policies and the upcoming UNGASS review in 2008. He pointed out one of the strengths of UN Drug Conventions is the responsibility that member states share in tackling the drug problem. More importantly, he noted that one of the weaknesses of the conventions is the liberalization of drug policies towards cannabis due to changing public and political perceptions since the '80s and '90s. Noting the recent release of the World Drug Report in June, Chawla highlighted the section on cannabis and reminded the group that cannabis is much stronger drug and therefore a higher risk to public health. Chawla also presented on the challenging review process that will begin for UNGASS 2008. He noted that the Biennial Reports Questionnaire completed by countries will be the main tool to evaluate how countries have done to significantly reduce the demand and supply of drugs from 1998-2008. In particular, he noted that the prevalence of drug use, national policies and documented successes such as the Golden Triangle's significant decrease in opium poppy would be the key areas of evaluation. ¶10. Director Walters presented U.S. drug policy successes noting that the key is to have a balanced drug control strategy. Walters stated that in the U.S., we have set goals to reduce teen drug use by 10% in two years, and 25% in five years. We exceeded the two-year goal, with an 11% reduction, and over the past three years there has been an historic 19% decrease in teenage drug use. Globally, we have all learned that international cooperation is key and the problem of drug trafficking and drug use threatens not only our society, but also those of our neighbors across the globe. Walters also noted that addiction is a fundamental disease of the brain and that science and extensive experience tell us that drug use is both a preventable behavior and one that we can intervene against and stop. Walters highlighted U.S. efforts to conduct random drug testing of high school students as not only as a powerful public health tool but also as a way to identify those who may need help or drug treatment early and in a confidential way. He also agreed with UNODC Chawla's presentation that marijuana's potency has dramatically increased over the last 15 years. Walters also noted the efforts of Colombia and Afghanistan to control illicit production in their countries. In particular he praised President Uribe's leadership and the eradication of potential cocaine production by one-third since August of 2002. He also pointed out that the Karzai government in Afghanistan has made remarkable progress to reduce opium cultivation through much sacrifice and courage. Walters thanked the INCB and others for the emphasis that has been placed on controlling precursor chemicals globally. He added that the reductions in the number of methamphetamine labs in the U.S. and reduced methamphetamine use in the workplace is evidence that international chemical control efforts can attack illicit drug production. -------------- Drug Courts -------------- ¶11. On August 9, ONDCP Director Walters met with West London District Court Officials on their Pilot Drug Court Initiatives. Court representatives included Justin Philips, Senior District Judge West London Magistrates; Tracey Goodhew, Criminal Justice Manager West London; Adam Frankland, Manager of Drugs Interventions Programme West London; Jonathan Joels, Senior Probation Officer; Sandra Fox, Chair of the West London Magistrates Bench; Simon Thacker, Policy Advisor on the Drug Court Project at HMCS HQ; Catherine Elkington, Head of the Courts innovations Branch at HMCS HQ; Sharon Harambee, Probation Officer; Dr Gul Dhanani, Clinical addiction psychologist; and Raj Boyjoonavth, Deputy Director (NHS) Central NW London, Mental Health Trust and Substance Misuse Unit. Joining Walters were Brian Blake, ONDCP Senior Advisor; Charlotte Sisson, ONDCP Policy Analyst; and Rafael Lemaitre, ONDCP Deputy Press Secretary. ¶12. The dedicated drug court (DDC) pilot in West London contributes to the UK Government's drugs strategy and builds upon the Home Office's Drug Interventions Program. Specifically, the DDC targets drug-addicted offenders, who currently pass through the Criminal Justice System, are sent to prison and come back out and re-offend. The motivation behind the DDC is to remove the catalyst for the offending behavior and to rehabilitate individuals. The rehabilitation and treatment service for the DDC is provided by the National Treatment Agency. Drug court officials were interested to learn more about U.S. Drug Courts, other U.S. programs focused on reducing drug use, and U.S. experiences with methamphetamine as crystal methamphetamine has been reported in West London on a few occasions. ¶13. Director Walters explained how the U.S. uses the criminal justice system as a tool in achieving treatment referral and recovery by enlisting the power of the courts to effect supervised treatment rather than jail. There are 1,621 courts currently in operation in all 50 states - an increase of more than 400 courts just in the past year. A National Institute of Justice study compared re-arrest rates for drug court graduates with individuals who were imprisoned for drug offenses, and found significant differences. The likelihood that a drug court graduate would be rearrested and charged for a serious offense in the first year after graduation was 16.4%, compared with 43.5% for non-drug court graduates. By the two-year mark, the recidivism rate had grown to 27.5%, compared to 58.6% for non-graduates. ¶14. Walters reviewed how the U.S. spends $3.5 billion a year on drug abuse treatment and research. This does not include the additional funds spent by state and local governments and private individuals. He also answered their questions on the use of a voucher program that empowers individuals by allowing them to choose among various drug-treatment programs, including Faith-Based programs. Drug Court officials were very interested to learn of other ways to limit the spread of drug use by individuals who are in the early stages of use, before the negative effects of continued use and addiction are compounded. Walters explained the cost effectiveness of U.S. drug screening and intervention programs when used as part of the nation's existing network of health, education, law enforcement, and counseling providers. ¶15. Walters shared U.S. experiences in dealing with Methamphetamine, highlighting controlling precursor chemicals as essential. In 2003, there were 17,448 clandestine meth lab incidents across the country. 2004 numbers are still being formulated, but early evidence indicates that the increase in meth lab numbers may have been halted. The vast majority of labs (over 95% in 2002) are seized and investigated by state and local law enforcement, with cleanup costs that run in the millions of dollars for these jurisdictions every year. Nationally, drug treatment admissions for methamphetamine/amphetamine dependencies have been increasing: In 2003, more than six percent of treatment admissions nationwide were for methamphetamine/amphetamine, up from 1.3% in 1993. The greatest myth we need to debunk is that methamphetamine addicts cannot be treated that is simply not true. However, methamphetamine addicts do sometimes require longer treatment and/or inpatient treatment. Regulations in 35 U.S. states on retail sales has shrunk the number of small methamphetamine labs. Congress has also created the Meth Act which goes into effect Sep 30 to combat the methamphetamine epidemic through limiting the individual to purchase 3.6 grams; eliminating the blister pack loophole; and requiring importers of pseudoephedrine to get approval if there is a change to the shipment's original purchaser in order to prevent the diversion of the product. ¶16. As a follow on to this meeting, Senior Judge Justin Philips will be in Washington the week of September 4 and is interested in visiting a U.S. drug court. ONDCP is in the process of arranging a meeting for him with the Judge(s) of a local Washington D.C. drug court, attending a drug court proceeding, and visiting with one of the treatment facilities affiliated with the court. ¶17. This cable was cleared by ONDCP Director Walters. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Johnson