The treatment sector is entering a “renaissance” of new research. “The number of studies evaluating formal substance abuse treatment programs for adolescents more than doubled from 1997 to 2001 and promises to double again within the next three years.” 7 This research has translated into advances in treatment methodology, with promising new approaches that are comprehensive and integrative and involve the families, schools, healthcare professionals, and communities. Unfortunately, the promise of treatment is not always apparent to all healthcare professionals. This lack of knowledge is primarily due to the fact that physicians are not trained to recognize these problems in patients, as only eight percent of US medical schools offer a specific required substance abuse component of their curricula, and this could range from a lecture course to a single grand rounds.

With these challenges in mind, Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy convened a meeting on November 29, 2001, “Adolescents and Substance Abuse: Risks, Treatment and the Juvenile Justice System,” at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The goal of this meeting was to identify and present the latest data on prevalence, prevention, treatment, and the juvenile justice system. While the PLNDP’s earlier activities focused on illicit drugs, this report on adolescents encompasses alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. 

This report is structured as a public health strategy planning report similar to Healthy People 2000 and Healthy People 2010 and is an outgrowth of the November PLNDP-sponsored meeting. It is organized into initiatives, within which PLNDP has identified policy recommendations and priorities for further research.