[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 92 (Wednesday, June 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           DRUG LEGALIZATION--THE MORAL EQUIVALENT OF GENOCIDE

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                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, June 7, 1995
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, our Nation's top drug enforcement official, 
Lee Brown, recently gave an important speech on drug legalization. 
While some liberals and libertarians would have you believe that 
legalization is a viable alternative to the war on drugs, Mr. Brown 
makes it very clear that drug legalization will never occur in the 
United States.
         Lee Brown's ``Why the U.S. Will Never Legalize Drugs''

       When we look at the plight of many of our youth today, 
     especially African American males, I do not think it is an 
     exaggeration to say that legalizing drugs would be the moral 
     equivalent of genocide.
  Making addictive, mind altering drugs legal is an invitation to 
disaster for our communities that are already under siege.
  Without laws that make drug use illegal, some experts estimate that 
we could easily have three times as many Americans using cocaine and 
crack--the proponents of legalization would have us believe that crime 
would go down if drug use was legal, but an honest look at the facts 
belie this argument.
  Statistic tell us that almost half of those arrested for committing a 
crime test positive for the use of drugs at the time of their arrest. 
Making drugs more readily available could only propel more individuals 
into a life of crime and violence. Contrary to what the legalization 
proponents say, profit is not the only reason for the high rates of 
crime and violence that are associated with the drug trade * * * drugs 
are illegal because they are harmful--to both body and mind.
  Those who can least afford further hardship in their lives would be 
much worse off if drug were legalized.


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