Office of National Drug Control Policy

On Thursday, June 19, at 9 a.m. EST, the Office of National Drug Control Policy will convene leaders in federal and state government to address a public health epidemic: opioid abuse. Join the conversation.

On May 1, ONDCP Acting Director Michael Botticelli spoke at the 55th regular session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) in Washington, D.C.

A resolution on the importance of recovery proposed by the United States at the 57th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was approved on March 21st in Vienna, Austria. This resolution marks the first time in the more than 50-year history of the global anti-drug regime that the concept of recovery was formally accepted and supported by United Nations Member States.

As of today, there are only 10 days left to enroll in health coverage at healthcare.gov before open enrollment ends on March 31. For those of us in recovery—and for anyone who loves someone in recovery—health coverage now carries an incredibly important benefit: substance use disorder treatment is covered like any other medical service.

Whether it is developing groundbreaking programs to break the cycle of drug use and crime, conducting innovative research that expands our understanding of how drugs affect the human body, expanding treatment opportunities, or preventing drug use before it starts, the 2014 ONDCP Advocates for Action are making a difference by reducing drug use and its consequences.

Today, the Senate voted to confirm Gil Kerlikowske to be the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a role to which he will be transitioning over the next several days. Once the transition is complete, Deputy Director Michael Botticelli will take on the role of Acting Director of National Drug Control Policy.

With the amount of media attention on overdoses right now, it's important to know the basics about the epidemic.

Yesterday, a life was saved in Staten Island. After arriving at the scene of an opioid overdose, a local law enforcement officer administered the overdose-reversal drug, naloxone, to an unresponsive victim. He was revived, thanks to the officer – and the naloxone he carried as part of the New York Police Department’s pilot program to train 180 officers to administer the overdose reversal drug.

Today, ONDCP staff answered President Obama’s call to honor the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by making it a “day on” instead of a “day off.” We enjoyed a warm welcome from Clean and Sober Streets, long term residential drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation center in Washington, D.C.

This week, one of our office’s most important programs is convening leaders in substance use prevention from across the Nation. The Drug-Free Communities Support program (DFC) is hosting its annual New Grantee meeting here in Washington, D.C., giving us an opportunity to discuss a fundamental part of our work at ONDCP: prevention.

Today, Director Kerlikowske joined local officials in supporting small businesses as part of Small Business Saturday. An initiative of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.