[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 177 (Thursday, November 9, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RED RIBBON DRUG AWARENESS WEEK ACTIVITIES

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 9, 1995

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to acknowledge the 
excellent work, and important efforts, against drug abuse that the 
annual Red Ribbon Drug Awareness Campaign represents across America, 
each and every year around this time.
  The work that the many community organizations, and groups are doing 
as part of this annual drug awareness program and the importance of the 
educational message of a drug-free society, especially for our young 
people, is vital in this day and age of rising drug use.
  A recent University of Michigan study on the latest alarming rise in 
drug use, especially among the young, made it clear that each new 
generation must learn the hard lessons of drug abuse. That learning can 
and must be accelerated through valuable drug awareness programs.
  These programs, and efforts like the Red Ribbon Awareness effort, 
help provide the opportunities for those hard and costly lessons to be 
learned by each new generation before it's too late, and our young are 
on the road to addiction and ruin.
  In March of this year, former First Lady Nancy Reagan, famous for her 
own well recognized and effective, just say no, drug educational 
efforts, testified before our House Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight, in which she said, ``After great strides that were made just 
a few years back, I'm worried that this Nation is forgetting how 
endangered our children are by drugs.''
  Let us together not permit America to forget that drug prevention, 
through education of our young, is critical to avoiding devastating 
long-term costs and damage from drug abuse by our children and future 
generations.
  It was gratifying to note that President Clinton announced that there 
will be a teenage drug use White House conference in January to address 
the alarming rise in youth drug use.
  Our young people, I know, will surely benefit from the valuable 
learning and awareness from these efforts of Red Ribbon Week, such as 
that of the Orange County Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council, and other 
important programs throughout the mid-Hudson region of New York State.

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