Title 21 — Food and DrugsRelease 119-73not60
§1101 Congressional Findings
Title 21 › Chapter 16— DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND REHABILITATION › Subchapter I— GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 1101
Summary
Requires the federal government to make a long-term, coordinated plan that uses both strong law enforcement against illegal drugs and health programs to treat and prevent drug abuse. Drug use is rising fast across cities, suburbs, and rural areas. It hurts people’s health, adds to crime (especially with heroin), and causes pain for families and communities. The plan must link education, treatment, rehab, research, training, and law enforcement and fix poor coordination among federal, state, and local governments. Although there was a three-year slowdown after March 21, 1972, heroin use has risen since 1974. Federal leadership must be visible, adapt to changing drug patterns and population shifts, reach the public and high-risk groups (youth, women, the elderly), and involve hard-hit local governments.
Full Legal Text
Title 21, §1101
Food and Drugs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1)Drug abuse is rapidly increasing in the United States and now afflicts urban, suburban, and rural areas of the Nation.
(2)Drug abuse seriously impairs individual, as well as societal, health and well-being.
(3)Drug abuse, especially heroin addiction, substantially contributes to crime.
(4)The adverse impact of drug abuse inflicts increasing pain and hardship on individuals, families, and communities and undermines our institutions.
(5)Too little is known about drug abuse, especially the causes, and ways to treat and prevent drug abuse.
(6)The success of Federal drug abuse programs and activities requires a recognition that education, treatment, rehabilitation, research, training, and law enforcement efforts are interrelated.
(7)The effectiveness of efforts by State and local governments and by the Federal Government to control and treat drug abuse in the United States has been hampered by a lack of coordination among the States, between States and localities, among the Federal Government, States and localities, and throughout the Federal establishment.
(8)Control of drug abuse requires the development of a comprehensive, coordinated long-term Federal strategy that encompasses both effective law enforcement against illegal drug traffic and effective health programs to rehabilitate victims of drug abuse.
(9)The increasing rate of drug abuse constitutes a serious and continuing threat to national health and welfare, requiring an immediate and effective response on the part of the Federal Government.
(10)Although the Congress observed a significant apparent reduction in the rate of increase of drug abuse during the three-year period subsequent to March 21, 1972, and in certain areas of the country apparent temporary reductions in its incidence, the increase and spread of heroin consumption since 1974, and the continuing abuse of other dangerous drugs, clearly indicate the need for effective, ongoing, and highly visible Federal leadership in the formation and execution of a comprehensive, coordinated drug abuse policy.
(11)Shifts in the usage of various drugs and in the Nation’s demographic composition require a Federal strategy to adjust the focus of drug abuse programs to meet new needs and priorities on a cost-effective basis.
(12)The growing extent of drug abuse indicates an urgent need for prevention and intervention programs designed to reach the general population and members of high risk populations such as youth, women, and the elderly.
(13)Effective control of drug abuse requires high-level coordination of Federal international and domestic activities relating to both supply of, and demand for, commonly abused drugs.
(14)Local governments with high concentrations of drug abuse should be actively involved in the planning and coordination of efforts to combat drug abuse.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1980—Pars. (11) to (14). Pub. L. 96–181 added pars. (11) to (14). 1976—Par. (10). Pub. L. 94–237 added par. (10).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Short Title
of 1980 Amendment Pub. L. 96–181, § 1(a), Jan. 2, 1980, 93 Stat. 1309, provided that: “This Act [enacting sections 1111 to 1117 and 1181 of this title, amending this section, section 1102, 1162, 1164, 1176, 1177, 1180, and 1191 to 1193 of this title, and section 218, 300l–2, 300m–3, and 3733 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, omitting sections 1118 to 1120 and 1131 to 1133 of this title, enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and section 1193 of this title, and amending provisions set out as a note below] may be cited as the ‘Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation
Amendments
of 1979’.”
Short Title
of 1978 Amendment Pub. L. 95–461, § 1, Oct. 14, 1978, 92 Stat. 1268, provided that: “This Act [enacting section 1194 of this title, amending section 1172, 1176, 1177, 1192, and 1193 of this title, enacting a provision set out as a note under section 1172 of this title and amending a provision set out as a note under section 242 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare] may be cited as the ‘Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment
Amendments
of 1978’.”
Short Title
Pub. L. 92–255, § 1, Mar. 21, 1972, 86 Stat. 65, as amended by Pub. L. 96–181, § 15(a), Jan. 2, 1980, 93 Stat. 1316, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter, and amending section 5313, 5315, and 5316 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and section 218, 246, 257, 2684, 2688a, 2688k, 2688n–1, and 2688t of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare] may be cited as the ‘Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act’.” References to Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972 Pub. L. 96–181, § 15(b), Jan. 2, 1980, 93 Stat. 1316, provided in part that: “Whenever reference is made in any other Federal law, regulation, ruling, or order to the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972, the reference shall be considered to be made to the Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
21 U.S.C. § 1101
Title 21 — Food and Drugs
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60