Chemical dependency and black America: the government responds

Alcohol and other drug abuse is public enemy number one in America's inner-city communities. Youngsters are joining gangs that specialize in dealing drugs, the number of addicts dying from overdoses continues to increase, IV-drug users are spreading AIDS, and homicide and other types of violence are at an all time high. Blacks are disproportionately affected by these social ills. The federal government is waging a war on drugs, and many agencies are involved. Each department has minority initiatives that address chemical dependency among Blacks. In particular, one federal agency is directing considerable resources to prevention, intervention, and treatment programs for high-risk youth and high-risk families. Overall, the federal government is placing increased emphasis on user responsibility and the involvement of young people in anti-drug programs. The newly passed Omnibus Drug Bill provides increased resources for the war on drugs and broadens the scope of many programs.