WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) applauded key provisions in President Donald J. Trump’s newly issued executive order, Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets, which directly align with FDPS’s Blueprint for Effective Drug Policy. These provisions prioritize common-sense, evidence-based approaches to drug addiction, including the expansion of drug courts and rejection of failed extreme “harm reduction” experiments like “safe consumption” sites.
Dr. Kevin A. Sabet, President & CEO of FDPS, released the following statement:
“We welcome the Administration’s clear stand for prevention, treatment, and recovery – all evidence-based policies. We are also encouraged to see provisions which stand against extreme forms of ‘harm reduction’ policies that only perpetuate addiction and despair and have failed to achieve their purported ends. There is a place for harm reduction interventions but the goal must be recovery. By directing federal agencies to defund ineffective programs like so-called ‘safe consumption’ sites and prioritize real prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies, this executive order reflects a long-overdue course correction in our national drug policy – and it will save countless lives.
“This marks an important pivot toward restoring public health, dignity, and accountability in drug policy. FDPS stands ready to assist in its implementation and ensure that these reforms reach those who need them most.
“These are precisely the types of reforms our FDPS Blueprint for Effective Drug Policy calls for: solutions rooted in compassion, prevention, accountability, and science. The expansion of drug courts will divert more Americans into treatment and away from prison, offering real hope and second chances. And rejecting government-sponsored drug use will end the tragic enabling of addiction in the name of public health.
“We urge Congress and state leaders to follow suit by investing in prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery services; strategies with a proven return on investment. Prevention must be prioritized in schools and communities. Drug courts must be expanded and fully funded. And programs that fail to reduce addiction or overdoses must no longer be rewarded.”
FDPS is specifically encouraged by two key provisions:
Section 4(a): Directing HHS to ensure that SAMHSA grants fund only evidence-based programs—while defunding those, like “safe consumption” sites, that enable drug use and fail to produce results.
Section 4(b): Prioritizing federal resources to expand drug courts and mental health courts where appropriate, providing life-saving alternatives to incarceration for individuals with substance use disorder.