Chapter 20 - Public Policy In Other Countries - US

Administration of the policy

As previously stated, the national drug control budget is enormous. Over $18 billion has been budgeted for the year 2001 for the purpose of supporting the goals and objectives of the National Drug Control Strategy. Numerous federal departments, including Defense, Education, Justice, State and the Treasury, are involved and often must coordinate with state and local government agencies and a wide assortment of community and professional groups. This is all overseen by the ONDCP.

A key government department is the Department of Justice which is responsible for many of the agencies involved in this area and receives a significant portion of the drug control budget; over 8 billion dollars in 2001.[1][235] Various agencies receive funding through Justice, including the Bureau of Prisons, the F.B.I., INTERPOL, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The DEA[2][236] merits special mention in the Justice Department’s administration of drug control policy. Its mission is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets. Established in 1973, it is the successor of Anslinger’s FBN and other enforcement arms of the federal government as illustrated in the following graphic.[3][237]

Apart from its law enforcement duties, the DEA manages national drug intelligence and is responsible, under the policy guidance of the Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassadors, for all programs associated with drug law enforcement counterparts in foreign countries. In this capacity, the organization liases with the United Nations, Interpol, and other organizations on matters relating to international drug control programs. American actions outside of U.S. territory include "Plan Columbia," a program targeted at reducing cocaine productivity in that country to which over a billion dollars has been committed, as well as well joint enforcement activities undertaken with other governments such as Mexico. As well, under the Foreign Assistance Act, the U.S. is required to impose substantial restrictions on bilateral assistance to those countries listed by the White House as being major drug producing or transit countries. Similarly, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act permits the President to designate foreign individuals as "drug kingpins," thereby denying them access to the U.S. financial system and making illegal any transactions between the "kingpin" and U.S. companies or individuals.