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NCADD Action Alert
Urge Members of Congress to Increase
Funding for Alcohol and Drug Prevention,
Treatment and Education
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| AUGUST 1, 2002 |
Members of Congress will be working in their districts from August 2nd through September 2nd, and they need to hear how important alcohol and drug prevention, treatment and research services are to saving lives and money by reducing crime, health, welfare and other social costs.
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| WHAT YOU CAN DO |
Call, fax, email or visit your Representative or their staff. The Capitol Hill Switchboard is 202/224-3121; your Representative's Hill staff can direct you to your local district office to set up a meeting and to send correspondence directly to your Member at the district office. You can also look up your Member's contact information on the House website www.house.gov.
Your action is especially important if your Representative serves on the House Appropriations Committee (see list). A sample letter is also included for you convenience.
Remember to:
Request funding increases for alcohol and drug treatment, prevention, education and research. These services save lives and money by reducing crime, welfare, health and social costs.
Urge your Member to support the amounts requested by those of us working in the field of alcohol and drug dependence treatment, prevention, education, research and recovery:
Program: Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant
Field Request for FY 2003: $1.795 billion
Program: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
Field Request for FY 2003: $358 million
Program: Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
Field Request for FY 2003: $202 million
Program: Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program (SDFSC)
Field Request for FY 2003: $654 million
Program: State Grants Program (SDFSC subtotal)
Field Request for FY 2003: $485 million
Program: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Field Request for FY 2003: $418 million
Program: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Field Request for FY 2003: $968 million
If you have any questions, please contact the NCADD Policy Office or our colleagues at the Legal Action Center.
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| SAMPLE LETTER |
The Honorable (Full Name of Representative)
The United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Representative (insert last name):
I am writing to request your support for increased funding for alcohol and drug treatment, prevention, education, and research in FY 2003.
The unmet need for alcohol and drug treatment and prevention services in America is overwhelming, and the tragedies of September 11, 2001 have made this situation worse. While between 13 million and 16 million people need treatment for alcohol and drug problems in any given year, only 3 million or 20 percent receive care. Prevention services are not available for many young people - leaving them in danger of poor health, diminished academic performance, and involvement with the criminal justice system.
[Insert state specific information in this section, if appropriate.]
The terrorist attacks in September also have heightened the need for services over the next few years. Drug and alcohol treatment and prevention providers are reporting increased national demand for their services, and disaster research indicates that the demand for these services can be expected to increase in the months and years to come. For example, a University of Oklahoma study examining the health effects of the Oklahoma City bombing found that alcohol consumption was three times higher in the metropolitan area as compared to a similar control community in the year after the attack. Additionally, the study found that the community as a whole was affected not just direct victims. According to reports issued by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the widespread trauma and stress associated with disasters significantly increases the risk for alcohol and drug use that may lead to addiction.
Science-based treatment and prevention services are successful in cutting primary alcohol and drug use by nearly half, decreasing criminal activity by as much as 80 percent, and deterring many youth from beginning to abuse alcohol and drugs in the first place. Moreover, drug and alcohol treatment services save money: each $1 invested in alcohol and drug treatment saves taxpayers $7. For many people, federal and state-funded programs are the only means available to obtain drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services. In fact, public spending accounts for more than 60 percent of the annual support for alcohol and drug treatment and prevention.
The funding levels for which I am requesting your support include:
- $1.795 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant
- $358 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
- $202 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
- $654 million for the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, including $485 million for the State Grants portion of that program
- $418 million for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- $968 million for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Your support of this entire continuum of programs is essential because all fronts of the battle against alcoholism and drug dependence must be sufficiently funded to be successful.
Investment in alcohol and drug treatment, prevention, education, and research will save lives and resources nationwide, and it will help America protect its health in challenging times. Thank you for your support of these critical programs.
Sincerely,
[Insert your name, your organization name (if applicable) and address]
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| HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE |
ALABAMA
Robert B. Aderholt (R)
Sonny Callahan (R)
Bud Cramer Jr. (D)
ARIZONA
Jim Kolbe (R)
Ed Pastor (D)
CALIFORNIA
Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham (R)
John T. Doolittle (R)
Sam Farr (D)
Jerry Lewis (R)
Nancy Pelosi (D)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D)
CONNECTICUT
Rosa L. DeLauro (D)
FLORIDA
Allen Boyd (D)
Carrie P. Meek (D)
Dan Miller (R)
C. W. Bill Young (R)
GEORGIA
Jack Kingston (R)
ILLINOIS
Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D)
Ray LaHood (R)
INDIANA
Peter J. Visclosky (D)
IOWA
Tom Latham (R)
KANSAS
Todd Tiahrt (R)
KENTUCKY
Anne M. Northup (R)
Harold Rogers (R)
LOUISIANA
David Vitter (R)
MARYLAND
Steny H. Hoyer (D)
MASSACHUSETTS
John W. Olver (D)
MICHIGAN
Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (D)
Joe Knollenberg (R)
MINNESOTA
Martin Olav Sabo (D)
MISSISSIPPI
Roger F. Wicker (R)
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MISSOURI
Jo Ann Emerson (R)
NEW HAMPSHIRE
John E. Sununu (R)
NEW JERSEY
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R)
Steven R. Rothman (D)
NEW MEXICO
Joe Skeen (R)
NEW YORK
Maurice D. Hinchey (D)
Nita M. Lowey (D)
José E. Serrano (D)
John E. Sweeney (R)
James T. Walsh (R)
NORTH CAROLINA
David E. Price (D)
Charles H. Taylor (R)
OHIO
David L. Hobson (R)
Marcy Kaptur (D)
Ralph Regula (R)
OKLAHOMA
Ernest J. Istook Jr. (R)
PENNSYLVANIA
Chaka Fattah (D)
John P. Murtha (D)
John E. Peterson (R)
Don Sherwood (R)
RHODE ISLAND
Patrick J. Kennedy (D)
SOUTH CAROLINA
James E. Clyburn (D)
TENNESSEE
Zach Wamp (R)
TEXAS
Henry Bonilla (R)
Tom DeLay (R)
Chet Edwards (D)
Kay Granger (R)
VIRGINIA
Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R)
James P. Moran (D)
Frank R. Wolf (R)
WASHINGTON
George R. Nethercutt Jr. (R)
WEST VIRGINIA
Alan B. Mollohan (D)
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National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
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244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022
phone: 212/269-7797 fax: 212/269-7510
email: national@ncadd.org http://www.ncadd.org
HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)
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