Executive Order 12595—White House Conference for a Drug Free America

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and statutes of the United States of America, including Sections 1931-1937 of Public Law 99-570 ("the Act"), and to establish and set forth the functions of the White House Conference for a Drug Free America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Establishment and Purposes. (a) There is established the White House Conference for a Drug Free America within the Executive Office of the President. The Conference will bring together knowledgeable individuals from the public and private sector who are concerned with issues relating to drug abuse education, prevention, and treatment, and the production, trafficking, and distribution of illicit drugs. (b) The purposes of the Conference are to: (1) share information and experiences in order to vigorously and directly attack drug abuse at all levels—local, State, Federal, and international; (2) bring public attention to those approaches to drug abuse education and prevention which have been successful in curbing drug abuse and those methods of treatment which have enabled drug abusers to become drug free; (3) highlight the dimensions of the drug abuse crisis, to examine the progress made in dealing with such crisis, and to assist in formulating a national strategy to thwart sale and solicitation of illicit drugs and to prevent and treat drug abuse; (4) examine the essential role of parents and family members in preventing the basic causes of drug abuse and in successful treatment efforts; and (5) focus public attention on the importance of fostering a widespread attitude of intolerance for illegal drugs and their use throughout all segments of our society. (c) The members of the Conference shall be appointed by the President, who shall: (1) designate the heads of appropriate Executive and military departments and agencies to participate in the Conference; (2) provide for the involvement in the Conference of other appropriate public officials, including Members of Congress, Governors, and Mayors; and (3) provide for the involvement in the Conference of private entities, including appropriate organizations, businesses, and individuals. (d) An Executive Director of the Conference shall be appointed by the President and is delegated the authority to appoint other directors and personnel for the Conference and to make determinations, under Section 1936 of the Act, regarding the number of and compensation of such employees as may be required for the purposes of meeting the responsibilities of the Conference and within the limitations of the budget authority available to the Conference. The Executive Director is authorized to undertake such activities as he may deem necessary to carry out the purposes of the Conference and to prepare for meetings of the Conference members. (e) A Managing Director of the Conference will be designated to organize and manage the operation of the Conference and to perform such functions as the Executive Director may assign or delegate, and shall act as Executive Director during the absence or disability of the Executive Director or in the event of a vacancy in the office of Executive Director. (f)(1) The Executive Director of the Conference shall be compensated at a rate not to exceed the rate of basic pay then currently paid for level III of the Executive Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5314). (2) The Managing Director of the Conference shall be compensated at a rate not to exceed the maximum rate of pay then currently paid for GS-18 of the General Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5332). Sec. 2. Functions. (a) The Conference shall specifically review: (1) the effectiveness of law enforcement at the local, State, and Federal levels to prevent the sale and solicitation of illicit drugs and the need to provide greater coordination of such programs; (2) the impact of drug abuse upon American education; (3) the extent to which Federal, State, and local programs of drug abuse education, prevention, and treatment require reorganization or reform in order to better use the available resources and to ensure greater coordination among such programs; (4) the impact of current laws on efforts to control international and domestic trafficking of illicit drugs; (5) the extent to which the sanctions in Section 481 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2291) have been, or should be, used in encouraging foreign states to comply with their international responsibilities respecting controlled substances; (6) the circumstances contributing to the initiation of illicit drug usage, with particular emphasis on the onset of drug use by youth; and (7) the potential approaches and available opportunities for contributing to specific drug free segments of society, such as public transportation, public housing, media, business, workplace, and other areas identified by the Conference. (b) The Conference shall prepare and transmit a report to the President and the Congress. The report shall include the findings and recommendations of the Conference as well as proposals for any legislative action necessary to implement such recommendations. During the three-year period following the submission of the final report of the Conference, the President will report to the Congress annually on the status and implementation of the findings and recommendations of the Conference. Sec. 3. Administration. (a) The heads of Executive agencies, to the extent permitted by law, shall provide the Conference such information with respect to drug abuse law enforcement, interdiction, and health-related drug abuse matters, including research, as it may require for the purpose of carrying out its functions. (b) All Federal departments, agencies, and instrumentalities are authorized to provide such support and assistance as may be necessary to facilitate the planning and administration of the Conference. (c) Upon request by the Executive Director, the heads of the Executive and military departments are authorized to detail employees to work with the Executive Director in planning and administering the Conference without regard to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 3341. Sec. 4. General. (a) The Executive Director is authorized to procure contractual services as necessary to support the purpose and functions of the Conference and other services, as authorized by title 5 U.S.C. 3109. (b) Notwithstanding any other Executive order, the Administrator of General Services and the Office of Administration, Executive Office of the President, on a reimbursable basis, may provide such administrative services as may be required. RONALD REAGAN The White House, May 5, 1987. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:28 a.m., May 6, 1987]