[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S686-S688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TEN STEPS TO FIGHTING DRUGS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, as I have noted on earlier occasions, 
this country continues to face a major drug

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problem. It is a problem that affects us all. No community escapes the 
consequences of drug use. Our streets and neighborhoods are made 
dangerous and unwelcoming by those who peddle illegal drugs. Our places 
of work are not drug free. Today, we live in a country where even our 
schools are not safe havens from the ravages of drugs.
  In just a few days, the Administration will release its newest drug 
strategy. It will be welcome, even though it is two weeks late. I look 
forward to it, even as the Administration undertakes efforts to do away 
with an annual drug strategy. The budget for drugs will be increased. 
That, too, is welcome. But we need to remind ourselves that despite 
steady increases in our counter-drug spending, we have seen increases 
in drug use by kids.
  This is a fact that the Administration has tried to sugar coat. It 
has tried to disguise the fact that drug use among kids has steadily 
increased throughout its tenure. Despite recent efforts by the 
Administration to paint over this fact with rhetoric, the facts remain.
  We cannot fight drug use among our kids by being less than honest. We 
should not even try. But there is another lesson in our current and 
growing problem. I believe that the Administration has not done as much 
as it ought to do. I believe it has left undone much that it should do. 
But, our drug problem is a national concern that must go beyond what 
government can do. We must remind ourselves that this is a problem that 
we must all confront. Parents, community and religious leaders, the 
business community, local politicians, the media, Hollywood, and our 
opinion leaders must come together. We need more than just money. We 
need commitment. We need more than rhetoric.
  Every day more of our kids start using illegal drugs. We need to roll 
up our sleeves and get to work.
  For these reasons, I am today presenting a ten-point program to fight 
back. This is my agenda to try to get our counter-drug efforts back on 
the front burner. We need to better define the problem, and we need to 
be doing more. As Chairman of the International Narcotics Control 
Caucus, I will work to push a more visible and effective national 
counter-drug effort.
  The first item on my agenda is to continue work to strengthen local 
community counter-drug problems. Last year, I sponsored legislation in 
the Senate, later signed into law, that provides funding to local 
community counter-drug coalitions. I will continue my efforts to ensure 
that this legislation is fully, speedily, and responsibly implemented.
  Second, I will continue to work on implementing a statewide coalition 
effort in Iowa that I began last year. The aim of this effort is to 
help create a framework to complement state and local efforts to combat 
illegal drugs in communities across Iowa. Working with such national 
organizations as Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, we are 
engaged in a project that can become a template for other states. The 
coalition will foster input and guidance from a non-political steering 
committee and six task forces. These include members from Iowa business 
and union leaders, the education community, religious leaders, and 
representatives from law enforcement. They also involve contributions 
from the media, doctors, and community anti-drug groups.
  Third, I will be calling upon our national business leaders and 
advertisers to renew their commitment to drug-free advertising. We have 
seen in recent years a decline in this commitment. That decline lead to 
the use of public money to pay for advertizing.
  But more to the point, I am concerned about what it says about the 
declining commitment of our business community to support a national 
effort to fight drug use. This is especially true given the problems 
that drug use creates in the workplace.
  Fourth, I will be seeking more resources for communities across the 
country to deal with an emerging drug problem. This is the double 
whammy of methamphetamine. Communities in the West and Middle West face 
not only growing meth use problems. They also face a new trend: Mexican 
criminal organizations are increasingly building meth labs in our 
communities and rural areas. Meth is being funneled into Iowa by these 
organizations. Labs are also increasingly being discovered. These 
create an environmental hazard that is often beyond the resources of 
local police or fire organizations to deal with. Last year, I co-
sponsored an effort to increase funding to these communities for meth 
lab clean up. I will expand that effort to ensure sustainable funding 
to help local communities.
  Fifth, I will continue to press the Administration for a 
comprehensive drug strategy. One of the major deficits in our current 
effort is not a lack of funding but a lack of focus. I propose to deal 
with that through greater oversight of our national efforts. In 
particular, I will push for a more comprehensive southern tier 
approach. Too often, our efforts to control access to our southern 
border have been piecemeal and fragmented. The forthcoming national 
drug strategy will perpetuate that imbalance.
  While we build a dyke in one area, the traffickers open a hole 
someplace else. We need a more focused effort that brings resources to 
bear consistently. We also need to ensure that our major drug control 
agencies receive adequate resources that implement consistent, well-
conceived and integrated plans.
  As part of this effort, I will pursue more vigorous oversight of our 
counter-drug programs.
  I will do this through insisting that we maintain a strong commitment 
to the annual certification process on international drug control. I 
will continue efforts to investigate specific programs and activities 
to ensure that our efforts are on track and producing results. I will 
also seek to ensure that our efforts to protect the integrity of our 
law enforcement activities is a priority.
  I will also pursue legislation that will provide greater authority to 
our law enforcement community to break the link between drug 
trafficking and alien smuggling. Many of our local communities find 
that drugs are introduced or produced by illegal aliens. I have 
supported increased resources to both U.S. Customs and the INS. I will 
continue my personal efforts to ensure adequate resources and focus at 
our borders and in our local communities.
  As the eighth point in my agenda, I will pursue tougher penalties for 
those who traffic and sell drugs. In particular, I will seek enhanced 
penalties for trafficking or selling near our schools and for peddling 
drugs to minors.
  As an integral part of this effort, I will also seek to toughen, not 
weaken, cocaine sentencing guidelines. I believe it sends an entirely 
wrong signal to lessen mandatory minimum sentences for those who 
traffick in crack cocaine. The Administration is proposing to weaken 
sentencing at a time when drug use is increasing. It is typical of the 
disconnect between the rhetoric we hear and the reality we see. Like 
the Administration, I will support efforts to bring powder cocaine 
sentencing into line with crack cocaine. But I will seek to do this by 
supporting Senator Abraham's efforts to enhance the sentences for 
trafficking powder cocaine, not by weakening our efforts.
  Finally, as part of my action plan, I will continue to work to 
strengthen our ability to deal with money laundering and organized 
criminal activities. The drugs that reach our streets and target our 
kids do not get there by accident. They are directed there by well-
organized, international criminal gangs. Their purpose is to make money 
at the expense of our kids. I will work to pass legislation that I 
introduced last year to go after the profits of these drug thugs. I 
will also continue to press the Administration to develop comprehensive 
legislation to go after international criminals wherever they may hide.
  This agenda is my personal commitment to do what one Senator can do 
to deal with this nation's drug problem. I will pursue this agenda as 
Chairman of the Drug Caucus. In the coming days and weeks, I will be 
introducing specific legislation to deal with many of the things I have 
talked about today. I will be coming to my colleagues for support. I 
will be expecting the Administration to live up to its obligations.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON addressed the Chair.

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  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, is there an order?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized for 10 minutes in 
morning business.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Thank you, Mr. President.

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