Drug identification and processing of military drug offenders

The problem of drug abuse, particularly among young people, has become a major national concern. The public expects the Federal Government to provide primary leadership in solving such problems. In response, the Government has developed a number of initiatives within the military designed to increase the scope and effectiveness of the Federal effort. The overall program is based on the principle that it is necessary to decrease the availability of illegal drugs and to reduce the desire of some people to misuse them, while at the same time reducing the damage from drug abuse by making appropriate treatment and rehabilitation available when and where it is needed. This new and comprehensive approach includes a number of carefully balanced and coordinated programs which have unified law enforcement efforts to reduce the supply of illicit drugs available; these programs have greatly expanded prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, education, training, and research programs at the Federal level, particularly in the Armed Forces. There are no simple answers to the questions of drug abuse. It is a complex problem, with a number of probable causes and an equally large number of potential solutions.