[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H11053-H11054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TROUBLING STATISTICS RELEASED ON TEEN DRUG USE

  (Mr. RADANOVICH asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I am greatly troubled by the statistics 
recently released on teenage drug use. How can we feel good about 
ourselves as a society when teen drug use has increased 78 percent 
since 1992? By the time teenagers reach 17, 58 percent know someone 
personally who uses acid, cocaine or heroin, and 43 percent have a 
friend with a serious drug problem.

[[Page H11054]]

  Mr. Speaker, these are daunting statistics. And what makes matters 
worse is that this administration has done little to combat this rising 
tide of drug use. The Clinton administration's 1995 budget proposed to 
cut 621 drug enforcement slots, and although Congress fought most of 
the cuts, 227 agents still lost their jobs with the Drug Enforcement 
Agency.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a serious problem which demands serious answers. 
And the only answer we get from President Clinton when asked if he 
would inhale if he had it to do over again is, ``Sure, if I could. I 
tried before.''

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