Substance abuse prevention: moving from science to policy

Substance abuse exacts tremendous social and economic costs in the United States, making a response to this problem a priority for policy makers at all levels of government. Although little argument exists about whether government should play a role in substance abuse control, considerable debate has been generated about exactly what that role should be. Currently, the United States spends about twice as much on supply reduction as demand reduction strategies. Supply reduction strategies, such as law enforcement and interdiction, are often harsh and based on little or no scientific evidence that demonstrates efficacy. As a demand reduction strategy, drug treatment has been demonstrated to be cost-effective. Substance abuse prevention, however, has failed to establish a critical body of research with which to make its case. This paper suggests several direct ways in which prevention science can influence public policy and thus move prevention science to more effective substance abuse prevention policy.