Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) is calling on local coalition leaders to urge Congress to preserve funding for the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program and other initiatives.

CADCA sent out an action alert in February noting that President Bush is recommending deletion of the state grants portion of SDFSC, currently funded at $255 million. CACDA called the program "the backbone of school-based substance-abuse prevention and intervention efforts in the United States."

"If Congress implements this draconian cut, the majority of school based prevention infrastructures currently in place will be decimated and many of the 37 million youth who are served annually by programs funded through SDFSC will no longer receive the prevention education they need," CADCA said.

Bush also is proposing to cut the $9.2 million DEA Demand Reduction Program from $9.2 million to $2.3 million, while CADCA is urging members to call Congress and advocate for a $10 million appropriation for the program.

CADCA also is calling for $90 million to be spent on the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, currently funded at $80 million; the Bush budget also calls for $90 million in appropriations for the program.