The Drug Strategies mission speaks to questions that have been asked by countless parents, teachers, and communities nationwide for as long as one can remember: How can I protect children from drug abuse? What prevention programs actually work? What can we do to reduce drug use among teens? How do I find treatment for myself/my loved one who is struggling with drug abuse? How do I know which treatment programs are effective for adolescents? What government policies have the most impact on America’s drug problems? 

Since Drug Strategies was created in 1993 with support from major foundations, we have been guided by this mission:

Our mission is to identify and promote more effective approaches to substance abuse and to increase public understanding of current research on what works and what does not.

Drug Strategies understood early on that effectively addressing America’s drug problems required a better public understanding of what we had already learned about how to prevent and treat drug abuse previously. 

We developed multiple resources that included in-depth reports on annual federal drug spending, regular national polling on public attitudes towards drug abuse and drug policy, consumer-friendly guides to prevention and treatment, and online games to help teens find help for their own drug problems. These were tailor-made for specific audiences, each designed to engage, educate, and activate individuals, from parents and teachers to concerned community members as well as government officials in Washington, D.C. and in states nationwide.

This approach was ahead of its time. Much of what we accomplished was designed to push the boundaries of the status quo. Now we’re passing that torch to the next generation.