Good morning. I want to thank you for this opportunity to be here this morning, and to welcome you to this third annual conference on substance abuse.
For too long, many people who live in our county have comfortably assumed that substance abuse is someone else's problem. Substance abuse has been associated with city street corners, not suburban enclaves.
All of you here today know what an illusion that is. We have 30,000 addicts in need of treatment, and that hasn't changed in at least eight years. Substance abuse IS our problem, and treatment and prevention must be one of our highest priorities. I want you to know that it is one of my administration's highest priorities.
We need - and we will pursue - an aggressive approach that reflects today's realities. The reality is that we need to better job of reaching those most vulnerable to drug addiction - specifically, children whose parents use drugs or who live in areas where drugs are sold.
The reality is that we need to expand access to substance abuse treatment by working with hospitals. The reality is that we need to connect addicts in treatment facilities with other services that will help them become productive members of society and decrease likelihood of relapse.
I thank each of you for caring enough to be here. One of my goals is a more constructive working relationship between communities and government. Here in this room, that goal has come to life. I look forward to working with all of you. I want to hear your ideas about how we can combat this most serious problem. Please, feel free to email me at jimsmith@co.ba.md.us, or talk to Dr. Leverett. We need your input as we forge a new substance abuse strategy.
Revised February 26, 2003
Courthouse 