Schaffer Online Library of Drug Policy Sign the Resolution for a Federal Commission on Drug Policy

 

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THE ATLANTA RESOLUTION


We, the Mayors of the United States of America, believe that drug abuse is one of the most critical problems facing our cities, and that it is inextricably linked to crime and violence. Cutting across all cultural, racial and economic lines, illicit drugs impair millions of Americans. Drug use and addiction contribute to the breakdown of our families, the abuse of adults and children, the spread of HIV/AIDS, school dropouts and the declining quality of education, homelessness, urban decay, high health care costs, and low economic productivity that compromises our ability to compete in the global marketplace. We must reduce the number of people who use drugs and the number of people with the disease of addiction to significantly improve the most pressing domestic issues we face. Drug use is a preventable behavior and drug addiction is a treatable disease.

1. We, the nation's mayors, reject all proposals to legalize illicit drugs. This is not the answer to the drug problem in our cities. We reject legalization, and other simplistic forms such as decriminalization, because it is morally reprehensible to consider an action that would a) simultaneously erode our children's anti-drug attitudes of perceived risk and social disapproval and b) make harmful and addictive drugs far more accessible to far more people. We support the medical use of any drug that research proves is safe and effective under guidelines established by the Food and Drug Administration. While we support attempts to reduce harm, we believe that the way to decrease such problems is to prevent drug use from starting and to help those who are already in trouble with drugs.

2. Prevention works: We have achieved real progress in decreasing drug use and in understanding what works. Since 1979, dramatic increases in public attitudes of perceived risk and social disapproval toward illicit drugs produced a decline of nearly 50 percent in the number of first-time users and nonaddicted users through all segments of the population. Throughout the nation, drug prevention efforts came together at the community level-in families, schools, the media, law enforcement, youth groups and workplaces-to establish nonuse as the behavioral standard and social norm. This progress in prevention has also significantly reduced the numbor of people who would have become addicted.

3. However, diminishing resources and public focus now threaten future success. The gains so preciously earned in anti-drug attitudes and declining use are now threatened. Since the early 1990s there has been decreased attention to the drug issue and increased pro-drug and pro-legalization publicity. This has contributed to a reversal in the attitudes of perceived risk and social disapproval that distinguish nonusers from users, and significant increases in the number of young people using illicit drugs. Finally, and despite increasing evidence of the cost-effectiveness of drug treatment, we have made little progress in reducing the number of people already addicted. This reflects a current system that can treat only one-fifth of the estimated 6 million people in trouble with drugs.

4. We must provide significantly greater resources and leadership-from governmental, corporate and nonprofit sectors at national, state and local levels-for the demand reduction efforts of prevention, intervention, treatment and research. Effective drug policy requires investment in both supply and demand reduction, but our nation is not providing enough funding for prevention or treatment. These are proven, cost-effective solutions for reducing both drug use and addiction and their impact on other critical domestic problems. Initial drug use is a matter of choice, and with sufficient resources, we can influence that choice positively. When addiction overtakes choice, we can treat addiction for those who require it. Our focus must combine efforts to reduce both the number of people who use and the number of people who are addicted to illicit drugs.

a) Preventing drug use by young people, and by all who influence them, must be the cornerstone of national, state and local drug strategies and resources if we are to build safe and healthy families and communities. We must reestablish and affirm the individual choice to remain drug-free. We must consistently reinforce the message that drug use is harmful and unacceptable. This message is vital to preventing drug experimentation and reducing drug use before it becomes addiction. We must effectively influence the decisions our young people make about illicit drugs by providing drug education at home and in school and by involving local law enforcement officers and judges, the faith community, health care professionals, the media, employers, and other community resources. Comprehensive community prevention programs significantly reduce adolescent drug use. We support the recently created National Prevention League, designed to coordinate prevention efforts and to emphasize the need for prevention as the first priority in reducing substance abuse.

b) We must make treatment more available, more effective and more accessible if we are to reduce the impact of drugs in our cities. Treatment is critical to reducing the social pathology conveyed by those already addicted to drugs. Most acute is the lack of treatment for those who are least able to function or whose drug involvement has profound implications for themselves, their families and society at large. People in the criminal justice system, pregnant women and women with children, the homeless, and those infected with HlV/AlDS face intolerable shortages of treatment slots. Early intervention in the drug abuse process, aimed especially at adolescents but including adults as well, decreases harm and increases rehabilitation.

c) Law enforcement must remain a strong component of, and be better linked to, demand reduction efforts. On the national, state and especially the local level, law enforcement and the judicial system are critical to the success of preventing and treatingdrug abuse. We need to increase cooperation among law enforcement agencies and between law enforcement and prevention and treatment programs within the community.

d) Research is critical to understanding, replicating and improving the effectiveness and cost efficiency of demand reduction efforts. Research, not ideology, must provide the foundation for drug policies and practices. More research is needed to improve our understanding of the ways drugs affect the brain and change behavior, of the reasons for reversing drug attitude and use trends, of the importance of community-based prevention programs, and of why particular treatment approaches are more successful than others.

e) Worldwide cooperation in reducing illicit drug abuse will not only help the international community, but also will reduce the flow of drugs into our cities. The spread of illicit drugs throughout Europe and other parts of the world imperils our ability to reduce drug abuse in our cities. We support European Cities Against Drugs, which organized last year to fight the legalization movement abroad. Today, we announce the formation of American Cities Against Drugs to support our sister organization in Europe and similar organizations that may form throughout the world.

We believe that reducing drug abuse is essential to the most important things all Americans care about: our children and families, our safety, our neighborhoods and communities, our health, our economy, our freedom to grow and prosper and our obligation as citizens to help each other build healthy families and communities. We must maintain our public will. We must elicit leadership from all segments of society, especially from individuals and communities. We must recognize that each of us has a role to play in the solution and all of us have a stake in the outcome. Drug abuse is a preventable behavior and drug addiction is a treatable disease. We, the Mayors of the United States of America, commit ourselves to reducing drug abuse by mobilizing our citizens and concentrating our resources to prevent this behavior and treat this disease.

Mayors Who Authorized NFIA to Place Their Names on The Atlanta Resolution

May 15, 1995

Mayor Bill Campbell

Atlanta, Georgia

Mayor Victor Ashe

President, U.S. Conference of Mayors

Knoxville, Tennessee

Alabama

Mayor Richard Arrington

Birmingham

Mayor Alfred Saliba

Dothan

Mayor Larry Langford

Fairfield

Mayor James Atkinson

Homewood

Mayor Frank Skinner

Hoover

Mayor Lillian Howard

Hueytown

Mayor Jesse M. Norwood

Prichard

Mayor Alvin P. DuPont

Tuscaloosa

Mayor Johnny Ford

Tuskeegee

Arizona

Mayor Jay Tibshraeny

Chandler

Mayor Christopher J. Bavasi

Flagstaff

Mayor William Arnold

Goodyear

Mayor Ken C. Forgia

Peoria

Mayor Neil G. Giuliano

Tempe

Mayor George Miller

Tuscon

Mayor Marilyn R. Young

Yuma

Arkansas

Mayor Fred B. Hanna

Fayetteville

Mayor Patrick Henry Mays

North Little Rock

California

Ralph J. Appezzato

Alameda

Mayor Leonard K. Herendeen

Antioch

Mayor Barbara Loux

Apple Valley

Mayor Randy Bomgaars

Bellflower

Mayor Shirley Dean

Berkeley

Mayor Donald R. Burr

Campbell

Mayor Michael I. Mitoma

Carson

Mayor Jeffrey P. Bennett

Corona

Mayor Sid Hollins

Escondido

Mayor Marge Tandy

Hemet

Mayor Cathie Brown

Livermore

Mayor Elihu M. Harris

Oakland

Mayor Dick Lyon

Oceanside

Mayor William M. Paparian

Pasadena

Mayor Rosemary M. Corbin

Richmond

Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge

Riverside

Mayor Claire L. Mack

San Mateo

Mayor Harriet Miller

Santa Barbara

Mayor Jo Anne Darcy

Santa Clarita

Mayor Albert Robles

South Gate

Mayor Anthony John Intintoli, Jr.

Vallejo

Mayor Steve Herfert

West Covina

Colorado

Mayor Wellington Webb

Denver

Mayor Ray Emerson

Loveland

Connecticut

Mayor Joseph Ganim

Bridgeport

Mayor Paul Audley

Fairfield

Mayor Delores E. Hauber

Groton

Mayor Stephen T. Cassano

Manchester

Mayor Linda A. Blogoslawski

New Britain

Delaware

Mayor James Sills

Wilmington

District of Columbia

Mayor Marion Barry, Jr.

Washington

Florida

Mayor Carol G. Hanson

Boca Raton

Mayor Roger G. Butter

Cape Coral

Mayor John Sommerer

Coral Springs

Mayor Thomas Lynch

Delray Beach

Mayor Jim Naugle

Fort Lauderdale

Mayor Raul I. Martinez

Hialeah

Mayor Mara Giulianti

Hollywood

Mayor John F. Festa

Key Bescayne

Mayor Arthur J. Bross

Margate

Mayor Joe Mullins

Melbourne

Mayor Vicki Coceano

Miramar

Mayor Frank R. Satchel, Jr.

Mulberry

Acting Mayor Gerald K. Ergle

Ocala

Mayor Glenda Hood

Orlando

Mayor Girard L. Clemons, Jr

Panama City

Mayor John R. Fogg

Pensacola

Mayor Cecil W. Bradbury

Pinellas Park

Mayor Robert E. Minsky

Port St. Lucie

Mayor David Fischer

St. Petersberg

Mayor Norman Abramowitz

Tamarac

Mayor Thomas R. Mariani

Titusville

Georgia

Mayor Paul A. Keenan

Albany

Mayor Patsy Jo Hilliard

East Point

Mayor David L. Carter

Macon

Illinois

Mayor Robert W. Towse

Alton

Mayor Thomas G. Shaughnessy

Berwyn

Mayor Jesse R. Smart

Bloomington

Mayor Roger C. Claar

Bolingbrook

Mayor Richard M. Daily

Chicago

Mayor Greg Sparrow

DeKalb

Mayor Gordon D. Bush

East St. Louis

Mayor Richard C. Weis

Freeport

Mayor Ronald L. Selph

Granite City

Mayor Raymond J. Geraci

Highland Park

Mayor Michael J. O'Malley

Hoffman Estates

Mayor Arthur Schultz

Joliet

Mayor Donald E. Green

Kankakee

Mayor Stanley F. Leach

Moline

Mayor Rita L. Mullins

Palatine

Idaho

Mayor Linda Milam

Idaho Falls

Indiana

Mayor Robert A. Pastrick

East Chicago

Mayor Thoams V. Barnes

Gary

Mayor Stephen Goldsmith

Indianapolis

Mayor Douglas B. England

New Albany

Mayor Roebrt E. Williams

Shelbyville

Iowa

Mayor Ed Stachovic

Cedar Falls

Mayor Tom Hanafan

Council Bluffs

Mayor Robert E. Scott

Sioux City

Kansas

Mayor Edith L. Stunkel

Manhattan

Kentucky

Mayor Johnny D. Webb

Bowling Green

Mayor Denny Bowman

Covington

Deputy Mayor William Summers

Louisville

Louisiana

Mayor Edward G. Randolph, Jr.

Alexandria

Mayor Barry P. Bonvillain

Houma

Mayor Aaron F. Broussard

Kenner

Mayor Kenny Bowen

Lafayette

Mayor Robert E. Powell

Monroe

Mayor Cliff Aucoin

New Iberia

Mayor Marc Morial

New Orleans

Mayor Robert W. 'Bo' Williams

Shreveport

Maine

Mayor William D. Burney, Jr.

Augusta

Mayor Richard W. Paulson, Jr.

Portland

Maryland

W. Edward Bohrer, Jr.

Gaithersburg

Massassachusetts

Mayor Charles Lyons

Arlington

Mayor Harold E. Tobey

Barnstable

Donna R. Kalikow

Chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen

Brookline

Mayor John R. Mitchell

Fall River

Mayor Jeffrey A. Bean

Fitchburg

Mayor James A. Rurak

Haverhill

Mayor Patrick J. McManus

Lynn

Mayor Thomas B. Concannon, Jr.

Newton

Mayor Robert T. Markel

Springfield

Mayor Raymond Mariano

Worcester

Michigan

Mayor Michael J. Buda

Bay City

Mayor Dennis W. Archer

Detroit

Mayor Ed Annen, Jr.

Kalamazoo

Mayor Billie M. Ireland

Rochester Hills

Mayor Beverly McAnally

Romulus

Mayor Jeanne M. Stine

Troy

Mayor Ronald L. Bonkowski

Warren

Minnesota

Mayor Gary L. Doty

Duluth

Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton

Minneapolis

Mayor Chuck Winkelman

St. Cloud

Mississippi

Mayor C. C. 'Frank' Self

Greenville

Mayor Ken Combs

Gulfport

Mayor J. Ed Morgan

Hattiesburg

Mayor Kane Ditto

Jackson

Mayor John Robert Smith

Meridian

Missouri

Mayor Duane Schreimann

Jefferson City

Mayor Emanuel Cleaver II

Kansas City

Mayor Robert L. Moeller

Saint Charles

Mayor Larry R. Stobbs

St. Joseph

Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr.

St. Louis

Mayor Janet Majerus

University City

Montana

Mayor Gayle Morris

Great Falls

Nevada

Mayor Jan Laverty Jones

Las Vegas

New Jersey

Mayor Leonard P. Kiczek

Bayonne

Mayor James T. Dowden

Bridgewater

Mayor Arnold Webster

Camden

Mayor Cardell Cooper

East Orange

Mayor Georga A. Spadoro

Edison

Mayor Sandra L. Love

Gloucester Township

Mayor John. K. Rafferty

Hamilton

Mayor Timothy C. McDonough

Hope

Mayor Douglas H. Palmer

Trenton

Mayor Joseph E. Romano

Vineland

New York

Mayor Richard A. Bucci

Binghamton

Mayor Sandra L. Frankel

Brighton

Mayor Anthony Masiello

Buffalo

Mayor Richard A. Kimball, Jr.

Jamestown

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani

New York City

Mayor Bill Johnson

Rochester

Mayor Joseph A. Griffo

Rome

Mayor Frank J. Duci

Schenectady

Mayor Louis D. La Polla

Utica

North Carolina

Mayor Russell M. Martin

Asheville

Mayor Richard Vinroot

Charlotte

Mayor James B. Garland

Gastonia

Mayor Carolyn S. Allen

Greensboro

Mayor Rebecca R. Smothers

High Point

Mayor M.C. (Joe) Choate

Jacksonville

North Dakota

Mayor Bruce W. Furness

Fargo

Ohio

Mayor Donald L. Plusquallic

Akron

Mayor Jimmy Dimora

Bedford Heights

Mayor Richard D. Watkins

Canton

Mayor Greg Lashutka

Colombus

Mayor Richard P. Hartmann

Kettering

Mayor Thomas L. Kruse

Marysville

Mayor Edward J. Boyle

North Olmsted

Oklahoma

Mayor Ronald J. Norick

Oklahoma City

Mayor M. Susan Savage

Tulsa

Oregon

Mayor Alice L. Schlenker

Lake Oswego

Pennsylvania

Mayor William B. Heydt

Allentown

Mayor Kenneth R. Smith

Bethlehem

Mayor Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard

Chester City

Mayor Joyce A. Savocchio

Erie

Mayor Stephen R. Reed

Harrisburg

Mayor Jack Salarrione

Norristown

Deputy Mayor John Wilder

Puerto Rico

Mayor Melania Bobe Acevedo

Hormigueros

Mayor Julio Cesar Lopez Gerona

Humacao

Rhode Island

Mayor Rolland R. Grant

East Providence

Mayor G. Richard Fossa

North Providence

Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr.

Providence

South Carolina

Mayor Bob Coble

Columbia

Mayor W. D. Workman, III

Greenville

Mayor Cheryll N. Woods-Flowers

Mount Pleasant

Mayor James Talley

Spartanburg

Tennessee

Mayor Gene Roberts

Chattanooga

Mayor Donald W. Trotter

Clarksville

Mayor Tom Rowland

Cleveland

Mayor Willie Herenton

Memphis

Mayor Phil Bredesen

Nashville

Texas

Mayor Richard E. Greene

Arlington

Mayor Richard D. Hurt

Bedford

Mayor Henry Gonzalez

Brownsville

Mayor Larry J. Ringer

College Station

Mayor Mary Rhodes

Corpus Christi

Mayor Ed Purcell

Duncanville

Mayor Larry Francis

El Paso

Mayor James B. Ratliff

Garland

Mayor Bob Lanier

Houston

Mayor Bobbie J. Mitchell

Lewisville

Mayor Cathye Ray

Mesquite

Mayor James N. Muns

Piano

Mayor Nelson W. Wolff

San Antonio

Mayor Kathy M. Morris

San Marcos

Mayor Charles T. Doyle

Texas City

Mayor Smith P. Reynolds, Jr.

Tyler

Mayor Ted B. Reed

Victoria

Mayor Robert Sheehy, Jr.

Waco

Utah

Mayor Deedee Corradini

Salt Lake City

Vermont

Mayor Clavelle

Burlington

Virginia

Mayor William E. Ward

Chesapeake

Mayor James S. Whitaker

Lynchburg

Mayor Paul D. Fraim

Norfolk

Mayor Gloria O. Webb

Portsmouth

Mayor Leonidas B. Young, II

Richmond

Mayor David A. Bowers

Roanoke

Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf

Virginia Beach

Washington

Mayor Jack Geraghty

Spokane

Wisconsin

Mayor Richard T. De Broux

Appleton

Mayor Timothy T. Seider

Greenfield

Mayor Patrick L. Zielke

La Crosse

Mayor James Smith

Racine

CNNI

Mayor Jesus Sablan Diguerrero

Saipan


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