On Friday, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard hosted a round table discussion with US Director of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske, about the impact of drug use in the Latino community. Latino community leaders, local law enforcement representatives and school officials were in attendance.

“This was an enlightening and productive discussion, but it does not end here,” said Congresswoman Roybal-Allard. “Our obligation as stakeholders in the community is to take back the valuable information gathered here and use it to educate those who were not present. We can utilize this meeting-of-minds to work towards minimizing the impacts drugs have and continue to have on communities of color,” Congresswoman Roybal-Allard added.

Topics covered at the roundtable included:  lack of funding for treatment and youth prevention programs prevention programs; the need for pooling of resources at the local level, including connecting school districts, local organizations and city/county agencies with treatment providers; and the negative effects of prison realignment efforts on offenders’ decision not to opt into alternative sentencing programs that include treatment.

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