Random Student Drug Testing Stops Drug Use Before it Begins

The goal of prevention is to stop substance use before it ever begins. Believing not only in this mission but in our ability to achieve it, this Administration outlined a strategy 6 years ago that called upon multiple sectors of society—parents, schools, employers, communities, and the media—to help Americans, and youth in particular, take a stand against drugs.

Random student testing can provide young people with a reason never to start using drugs, protecting them during a time when they are the most vulnerable to peer pressure and the adverse health effects of drug use.

In addition to acting as a powerful deterrent and early warning signal for drug use, random testing programs are also flexible enough to respond to emerging drug trends, such as the abuse of prescription drugs—America’s biggest drug problem after marijuana. By adapting test panels to reflect current usage patterns, testing programs can easily respond to new drug threats.

Schools that have already implemented programs are already seeing the success of random testing as a deterrent.  The latest example comes from the State of Texas, which began randomly testing students in February.  From AP:

Only two high school athletes were caught taking unauthorized substances in the nation's largest steroids testing program that screened more than 10,000 students, according to results released by the state Wednesday.

Want to learn more? Visit RandomStudentDrugTesting.org.

Fact Sheet: Defending Democratic Values We Share with Colombia

Today, President Bush honored Colombia's Independence Day.  Colombia and the United States have had a long history of close ties in the nearly two centuries since the United States and Colombia forged a friendship. It is the responsibility of free nations to support one another against those who would undermine freedom, and the United States is committed to the security of Colombia and to defeating the forces of terror. Approving the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (FTA) is one the most important steps that America can take to show its support for Colombia. The U.S.-Colombia FTA will advance our national security and bring economic gains for both countries. Congress should give this steadfast ally the support it deserves and quickly act to approve this agreement.

The United States And Colombia Have Worked Together To Combat Violence And Instability

President Alvaro Uribe has been a strong and capable partner in fighting drugs, crime, and terror. He has demonstrated that he is deeply committed to providing a better future for the people of Colombia. Since President Uribe took office in 2002, the Colombian government reports that homicides have dropped by 40 percent, kidnappings by more than 80 percent, and terrorist attacks by more than 70 percent.

• Earlier this month, President Uribe and his Administration scored an impressive triumph. Members of the Colombian military successfully rescued 15 hostages – including three Americans – being held by the FARC. The success of this rescue mission underscores the progress the Colombian government has made. Just this past Sunday, more than a million Colombians marched in their nation's streets, calling on the FARC to release its remaining hostages and stop practicing terror.

• Reforms to Colombia's criminal justice system have improved the effectiveness of the justice system and dramatically increased conviction rates. Since President Uribe took office, Colombia has also extradited over 680 criminal suspects – mostly for drug trafficking – to the United States. Just this May, President Uribe extradited 15 paramilitary leaders to the United States to face drug trafficking and other charges.

• Labor conditions in Colombia have significantly improved. Homicides of labor unionists dropped 80 percent, from approximately 186 in 2002, the year Uribe took office, to fewer than 40 in 2007. In response to concerns over attacks on labor unionists, the Prosecutor General's Office established a sub-unit to examine these cases. In addition, approximately 1,950 labor unionists are receiving protection under the Colombian Ministry of Interior and Justice's $39.5 million protection program. One third of this program's budget – $13.1 million – goes to protect this group.

Colombia's Economy Is Rebounding, And People's Lives Are Improving

Last year, Colombia's economy saw the largest growth rate in nearly three decades. Unemployment and poverty are at their lowest levels in a decade.

Colombia has laid the foundation for bringing government services to areas retaken from illegal armed groups and increased investment in alternative development, human rights protection, and social services.

To Demonstrate America's Good Faith, Congress Must Approve The Colombia Free Trade Agreement

The single most important step we can take to strengthen our relationship with Colombia is for Congress to approve the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement that our countries signed more than a year and a half ago. Over the past six years, President Uribe has transformed his country from the brink of a failing state to a stable democracy with a growing economy. He has partnered with the United States in the fight against drugs and terror and done everything the United States asked of him, including revising the free trade agreement to include some of the most rigorous labor and environmental protections in history.

• Opening markets is extremely important during this time of economic uncertainty. Last year, exports accounted for more than 40 percent of America's total economic growth. Over 90 percent of imports from Colombia enter our country duty-free, but the 10,000 American businesses that export to Colombia – including 8,000 small and mid-sized businesses – face tariffs of up to 35 percent, with rates even higher for some agricultural products. Once the agreement is in effect, Colombia will eliminate tariffs on more than 80 percent of U.S. exports of industrial and consumer goods immediately and 100 percent of U.S. exports over time.

• Tariffs imposed on U.S. exports to Colombia are estimated to have exceeded $1.1 billion while the trade agreement has awaited Congressional approval. Failure to approve the free trade agreement is hurting American businesses that want to sell their products in Colombia. Leveling the playing field would make American products more competitive in Colombia and support higher-paying jobs here in the U.S.

• Approving the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement is an urgent national security priority. While the FARC has seen its power reduced, the terrorists are still actively plotting against the Colombian government. It is in America's interest to stand by Colombia in the face of this threat, and the best way to do so is for Congress to allow a vote on the Colombia free trade agreement.

The Environmental Consequences of Drug Consumption in America

Those who enjoy and care about our planet’s natural resources should be troubled by the environmental consequences of the drug trade.  The billions of dollars worth of illegal drugs produced here and abroad take a horrific toll on some of the most fragile and diverse ecosystems on the planet.

To cultivate coca – the raw ingredient for cocaine - farmers in the Andean region need to clear fields in fragile tropical forest areas, most often by slashing and burning.  The consequences are tragic. Over the past two decades, the Andes have lost approximately 6 million acres of fragile tropical forest as a result of farmers clearing land to make way for the production of coca.

The destruction doesn’t end there.

Once coca crops are harvested, coca leaves are mixed with more industrial chemicals, including sulfuric acid, acetone, potassium permanganate, and gasoline, to make cocaine base.  The Colombian government estimates that in the year 2000 alone, more than 357 million liters of gasoline were used for coca leaf processing -- equivalent to a little over 3 days of gasoline consumption in the State of California. 

Over the weekend, the Christian Science Monitor published a story on the Colombian government’s efforts to educate more Americans about the consequences of drug consumption.  Consider this:

According to Shared Responsibility, 43 square feet of forest are cleared to produce one gram of cocaine, and coca growers have cleared an area the size of New Jersey – nearly five million acres – within Colombia over the past 20 years.

Clandestine cocaine laboratories, which use an array of toxic chemicals, pollute once-pristine waters in remote areas. And slash-and-burn clearing for coca farms is one of the country’s largest sources of air pollution. The clearing also accelerates global climate change, which is shrinking Colombia’s mountaintop glaciers.

We hope that more Americans take time to think about the global impact of the drug trade the next time they discuss what they can do to sustain a healthy environment here in the U.S. and abroad.

DC Examiner Runs Profile on Director Walters

Click on the image to read the Q & A:

USADA Announces Clean Sport Initiative

USADA has announced the launch of My Victory, a new campaign aimed at helping America's athletes understand and embrace the ideals of competing clean.  Twelve athletes, who are leaders in the sports of Cycling, Swimming and Track & Field, have joined USADA in the campaign to preserve the integrity of fair and honest competition. (You can view their PSA here.)

According to USADA: