[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      DREAM OF A DRUG-FREE AMERICA

  (Ms. GRANGER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, the poet Carl Sandburg once wrote that 
``Nothing happens unless first a dream.''
  Today, as we confront the issue of drugs, I urge my colleagues to 
dream of a nation without drugs. Imagine schools where our children are 
not told it is cool to be high. Imagine streets where drug pushers are 
nowhere to be seen. And imagine a world where the scourge of drugs has 
been eliminated for good forever.
  The issue of drugs deserves our immediate attention. In the 1990s, 
teenage drug use has nearly doubled. Nearly half of all 17-year-olds in 
our communities today say they can buy marijuana within an hour. That 
is not a problem. That is a crisis.
  The good news is that today communities all across America are 
beginning to dream again and families are beginning to hope again. Why? 
Simply because millions of American families are more determined than 
ever to win the war on drugs. I believe our dream of a drug-free 
America can become a reality if we pursue a strategy based on simple 
principles. First, face the reality of drugs.
  Principles such as empowering families to effectuate change. And 
principles such as protecting the victims and punishing the criminals.
  Mr. Speaker, the drug crisis is real and rising. But I have always 
believed that what is wrong with America can be cured by all that is 
right with America. And that's why I am so pleased to be a member of 
the Speaker's Task Force for a Drug Free America.
  I believe the war on drugs is one that can be won, must be won, and 
will be won, if only we have the courage to dream of a drug-free 
America. Together, we can save America from the scourge of drugs. One 
day at a time. One neighborhood at a time. And one child at a time.




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