[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 130 (Saturday, August 5, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1671-E1672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                CONGRESSIONAL VOTE ON DRUG LEGALIZATION

                                 ______


                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 4, 1995
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, for the remainder of this Congressional 
session I intend to offer several amendments prohibiting Federal funds 
from being used for any study or research on the legalization of drugs. 
These votes will serve to put the House on record in opposition to drug 
legalization. The U.S. Congress, In An Overwhelmingly Vote, Going To 
Oppose The Legalization Of Drugs.
  Those who support legalization would have us believe that we ought to 
decriminalize drugs because we have lost the war on drugs. We are not 
losing this war.
  The truth is that during the Reagan-Bush years drug use dropped, from 
24 million in 1979 to 11 million in 1992. Unfortunately, those hard 
fought gains have been wasted. Under President Clinton's watch this 
trend has been reversed and drug use is again increasing.
  The only lasting legacy of the Clinton Presidency will be a dramatic 
increase in the use of illegal drugs and the consequences of escalating 
violence and misery associated with them.

[[Page E1672]]

  As a country, we have never really waged an all out war on drugs. It 
is time we declared such a war and I am pleased the Speaker is talking 
about altering the rules of engagement.
  He should start this campaign by pulling the tax free status from 
organizations which are encouraging young people to take drugs. 
Organizations like the Drug Policy Foundation, whole sole purpose is to 
lobby for the legalization of dangerous drugs operates under a tax free 
status.
  In other words, America's parents who are struggling to make ends 
meet and trying their best to raise their children drug free, are 
required to pay extra taxes to subsidize the Drug Policy Foundation.
  Listen to what the Partnership for a Drug Free America says about 
teenagers' views on drugs:

       Most recent trends among teens indicate a reversal in the 
     attitudes that distinguish non-users from users--perception 
     of risk and social disapproval--and the consequences are an 
     increase in the use of marijuana, LSD, and cocaine.

  But even this administration is now opposed to legalizing drugs. In a 
recent speech entitled ``Why the U.S. Will Never Legalize Drugs'', our 
Nation's Drug Czar, Lee Brown called drug legalization the moral 
equivalent of genocide.
  Listen carefully to his words,

       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.
       Legalizing addictive, mind altering drugs legal is an 
     invitation to disaster for communities, that are already 
     under siege. Making drugs more readily available would 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 violence 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 drugs were legalized. Without it 
     laws that make the laws that make drug use illegal, we would 
     easily have three times as many Americans using cocaine and 
     crack.

  According to the Drug Czar, legalization would create three times as 
many drug users and addicts in this country. And what does this 
translate to on the streets? It means hundreds of thousands of 
additional newborns addicted to drugs.
  According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, 1 out of ever 
10 babies in the U.S. is born addicted to drugs. I guess the advocates 
of legalization must not think this percentage is high enough
  I challenge anyone in this chamber to go down the street and tell the 
nurses at D.C. General, who care for these children, that we need to 
legalize drugs. You will end up with a black eye! And here is another 
shocking fact * * * today in America over 11 percent of pregnant women 
use an illegal drug during pregnancy, including heroin, PCP, marijuana, 
and most commonly, crack cocaine. A sure fire way to worsen this 
problem would be to legalize drugs.
  According to a recent University of Michigan study of 50,000 high 
school students, drug use is up in all grades. Drug use is up among all 
students for crack, cocaine, heroin, stimulants, LSD, and marijuana.
  Increased drug use also contributes to domestic violence. In fact, 
drug use is a factor in half of all family violence, most of it 
directed against women, And over 30 percent of all child abuse cases 
involve a parent using illegal drugs. Legalizing drugs will mean more 
violence against women and children.
  And look at the problem with education in this country. The dropout 
rate in the United States is over 25 percent, and 50 percent in the 
major cities. A recent study of 11th graders showed that over half of 
the drug users dropped out--twice the rate of those drug-free. Drugs 
rob kids of their motivation and self-esteem, leaving them unable to 
concentrate and indifferent to learning. Millions of these kids end up 
on welfare or in prison.
  Drug abuse in the workplace, crack babies, welfare, high dropout 
rates, escalating health care costs, crack babies * *   could it get 
any worse? If we legalized drug it would get much worse.
  These problems are all interrelated but the common denominator is 
drug abuse. Legalizing drugs would be to say that all of this is 
acceptable * * * it is not acceptable.
  My amendments will send a strong and long overdue message to the 
young people in this country, that under no circumstances is the U.S. 
Congress ever going to legalize drugs.


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