2 Absent effective government action, the damage to our country would be even greater. Historians have documented America's experience with addictive drugs over the past two hundred years. For the benefit of all Americans, the 1997 National Drug Control Strategy sets a steady course to reduce drug abuse and its detrimental consequences. A Comprehensive Ten-Year Plan Strategy considers the relationship between available resources and goals. As an executable plan, it offers ways to achieve ends in an efficient manner.
Strategy sets the timetable for efforts undertaken and reassesses relevance as conditions change.
Strategy also embodies will. With a sense of optimism, the American people dedicate themselves to the proposition that our country can become safer and healthier, imbued with the vigor of thriving communities and contributing citizens. The National Drug Control Strategy is designed to provide guidance for the long-term. This document contains our collective wisdom for confronting illegal drugs. It provides general guidance while identifying specific initiatives.