[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 54 (Tuesday, May 5, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H2758-H2766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENSE OF THE HOUSE THAT THE UNITED STATES MUST REMAIN COMMITTED TO 
                        COMBATING ILLEGAL DRUGS

  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 267) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that the citizens of the United States must remain 
committed to combat the distribution, sale, and use of illegal drugs by 
the Nation's youth.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 267

       Whereas recently released statistics demonstrate that 
     America is not winning the battle to keep young Americans 
     drug-free;
       Whereas the results of these studies show that 29 percent 
     of high school students state that a student in their school 
     died from a drug-related or an alcohol-related incident in 
     the last year;
       Whereas 76 percent of high school students and 46 percent 
     of middle school students claim drugs are kept, used, or sold 
     on their school grounds;
       Whereas studies show that 61 percent of high school 
     students claim they can buy drugs within 1 day and 35 percent 
     claim they can buy drugs within 1 hour or less;
       Whereas it is reported that the use of heroin is increasing 
     and that 90 percent of new heroin users are under 26 years 
     old;
       Whereas the use of drugs at a young age dramatically 
     increases the risk of failure to complete high school, 
     increases the likelihood of committing crimes, and reduces 
     future prospects in education, athletics, and careers;
       Whereas it is known that safe, drug-free, and orderly 
     classrooms are key to an effective learning environment;

[[Page H2759]]

       Whereas parental involvement is critical to helping young 
     Americans resist the temptations of drugs and to establishing 
     a healthy learning environment;
       Whereas violent crime rates across the United States have 
     declined due to strong parental involvement and cooperation 
     among local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies;
       Whereas the same unified effort and commitment are needed 
     to fight drugs in our schools, playgrounds, and communities; 
     and
       Whereas Congress has the unique ability to provide 
     leadership on this issue by raising awareness of the dangers 
     of drugs in schools in every community across this great 
     Nation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Congress that--
       (1) all schools should be drug-free;
       (2) the distribution, sale, and use of illegal drugs in the 
     Nation's schools is unacceptable;
       (3) all Federal, State, and local drug fighting agencies 
     should work together with schools and parents to ensure that 
     a renewed effort is made to fight the distribution, sale, and 
     use of illegal drugs in our schools and to America's youth;
       (4) all governmental leaders, educators, and parents share 
     a role in raising the awareness of this issue and offering 
     constructive alternatives to illegal drug use; and
       (5) Congress and the President should work to end the 
     distribution, sale, and use of illegal drugs in the Nation's 
     schools and, work with local communities, schools, and 
     parents to implement meaningful policies.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Souder) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Martinez) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire, is either gentleman 
opposed to the legislation?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Martinez) opposed to the legislation?
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, I am not opposed to the legislation.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to claim the time in opposition.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Paul) will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 7 minutes of my 
20 minutes be controlled by the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Martinez).
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Souder).
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be involved with this very 
important sense of the House resolution. Although this resolution is 
nonbinding in nature, it is important. It sends a wakeup call to 
Americans.
  By way of background, this resolution was introduced by the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas), my friend and colleague, last fall. I 
commend his leadership in bringing this resolution to the floor today.
  H. Res. 267 enjoys the bipartisan support of 181 cosponsors, 
including most of the Republican members of the Committee on Education 
and the Workforce, which reported out the resolution, as amended by the 
committee substitute, by voice vote on March 11.
  Additionally, this bill has been endorsed by a variety of interest 
groups: The Partnership for a Drug Free America; the U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce; Youth to Youth; American Society of Addiction Medicine; 
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence; D.A.R.E. America; 
and the Elks Drug Awareness Program.
  Mr. Speaker, this simple resolution addresses a complex problem that 
plagues modern America: Illicit drug usage and trade. House Resolution 
267 is clear and concise. It expresses the sense of the House of 
Representatives that the citizens of the United States must remain 
committed to combat the distribution, sale and use of illegal drugs by 
the Nation's youth. If we fail to convey this vital message, our 
children's minds and bodies will continue to be poisoned by drugs.
  Let me just say up front where I stand on the crisis of illicit drug 
use in America. I have addressed this body last week to explain my 
anti-drug amendment to the Higher Education bill and amendment to the 
underlying language offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Solomon). In doing so, I challenged Congress to get serious about the 
epidemic of illicit drugs in this country.
  As I emphasized last week on this floor, we have a major drug crisis 
in this country and the question is are we serious about it or not? It 
is too easy for us to criticize Mexico and Colombia for their apparent 
endless supply of poisonous drugs to this country. We must continue to 
find effective and creative ways to fight the demand problem within our 
own borders.
  House Resolution 267 is a first step in sending a clear and concise 
message that we are serious about this crisis.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert into the Record some details of 
this crisis in particular, and not go into detail at this point.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be involved with this very important 
sense of the House resolution. Although this resolution is non-binding 
in nature, it is important--it sends a wake up call to Americans.
  By way of background, this resolution was introduced by my friend and 
colleague Mike Pappas last fall. I commend his leadership in bringing 
this resolution to the floor today.
  H. Res. 267 enjoys the bipartisan support of 181 cosponsors, 
including most of the Republican members of the Education and the 
Workforce Committee, which reported out the resolution, as amended by 
the Committee substitute, by voice vote on March 11th.
  Additionally, this bill has been endorsed by a variety of interest 
groups: the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce, Youth to Youth, American Society of Addiction Medicine, 
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, D.A.R.E. America, 
and Elks Drug Awareness Program.
  Mr. Speaker, This simple resolution addresses a complex problem that 
plagues modern America--illicit drug usage and trade. H. Res. 267 is 
clear and concise--it expresses the sense of the House of 
Representatives that the citizens of the United States must remain 
committed to combat the distribution, sale, and use of illegal drugs by 
the Nation's youth.
  If we fail to convey this vital message, our children's minds and 
bodies will continue to be poisoned by drugs.
  Let me just say up front where I stand on the crisis of illicit drug 
use in America. I addressed this body last week to explain my anti-drug 
amendment to the Higher Ed bill. In doing so, I challenged Congress to 
get serious about the epidemic of illicit drugs in this country.
  As I emphasized last week on this floor, we have a major drug crisis 
in this country, and the question is--are we serious about it or not?
  It is too easy for us to criticize Mexico and Columbia for their 
apparent endless supply of poisonous drugs to this country. We must 
continue to find creative and effective ways to combat the demand 
problem within our own borders. H. Res. 267 is a first step in sending 
a clear and concise message that we are serious about this crisis.
  The evidence of the drug crisis is in, and it is quite compelling. 
Consider these telling statistics:

                 Drug Availability & Use is on the Rise

       A majority of all high school seniors would say ``yes,'' 
     they've used an illegal drug in their short lifetime. In 
     1992, 40.7% had ever used an illicit drug; by 1997, the 
     number jumped to 54.3%. (Source: December 1997, ``Monitoring 
     the Future Study'' a.k.a. the ``National High School 
     Survey,'' University of Michigan's Survey Research Center)
       Marijuana use is up. In 1992, one-out-of-three high school 
     seniors (32.6%) had tried the drug--a mere six years later in 
     1997, nearly half of all high school seniors (49.6%) had 
     experimented with pot. (Source: same as above)
       The number of 4th-6th graders (9-to-12 year olds) 
     experimenting with marijuana increased 71% from 334,000 in 
     1993 to 571,000 in 1997. (Source: April 13, 1998, 
     ``Partnership Attitude Study,'' Partnership for a Drug-Free 
     America)
       ``Children's exposure to marijuana doubled from 1993 to 
     1997.'' In 1993, 7% of kids said that they had close friends 
     who ``use marijuana sometimes'' to 14% in 1997. (Source: same 
     as above)
       72% of people in the U.S. and 65% of people in Latin 
     America favor U.S.-imposed sanctions on countries that don't 
     do enough to combat drug production or trafficking. (Source: 
     same as above)
       34% see drug interdiction as a top priority foreign policy 
     issue--more than illegal immigration (22%), the threat of 
     terrorism (22%), and free trade (17%). (Source: February 26, 
     1998, ``America Assesses Drug Policy,'' Family Research 
     Council)

  Mr. Speaker, that's what we're up against. As the evidence suggests, 
we can no longer allow the use and trade of illicit drugs to continue 
unchecked.
  It's time we send an unequivocal message to America that the House 
unequivocally opposes illicit drugs. If you are a drug user or

[[Page H2760]]

pusher--beware. We are watching and we will find innovative ways to 
combat what you are doing.

       By the time the average teenager reaches age 18, 68% can 
     buy marijuana within a day--nearly half within an hour. In 
     fact, 42% find marijuana easier to buy than either beer or 
     cigarettes. (Source: September 1997, ``Back to School 1997,'' 
     Center for Addiction & Substance Abuse)
       By the time the average child reaches age 13, ONE-in-FOUR 
     have attended a party in the last six months where marijuana 
     was available. (Source: same as above)
       Fewer than one-in-three teenagers under 18 say they attend 
     a drug-free school. (Source: same as above)
       A third of teenagers (33%) were offered drugs at school in 
     1997--a significant increase of 44% from 1993 (23%). For 
     children 9-to-12 years old (4th-6th graders), almost three 
     out of ten (28%) were offered drugs in 1997--a 47% increase 
     since 1993 (19%). (Source: April 13, 1998, ``Partnership 
     Attitude Study,'' Partnership for a Drug-Free America)

                            The Untold Costs

       Drug abuse killed 14,218 Americans in 1995 at the cost of 
     more than $67 billion. (November 10, 1997, ``What America's 
     Users Spend on Illegal Drugs: 1988-1995,'' Office of National 
     Drug Control Policy)

  If this casualty rate should continue, nearly 114,000 Americans--many 
of them our youth--will die from drug abuse and overdose on President 
Clinton's watch. These numbers do not take into account deaths from 
drug-related crime and violence, which the Drug Enforcement Agency 
estimates would easily top 20,000 Americans per year.

       By the time a child reaches age 13, ONE-in-TEN will say 
     they know a schoolmate who has died because of drugs or 
     alcohol. (Source: September 1997, ``Back to School 1997,'' 
     Center for Addiction & Substance Abuse)
       American taxpayers footed a $150 billion bill for drug-
     related criminal and medical costs in 1997 alone. (November 
     10, 1997, ``What America's Users Spend on Illegal Drugs: 
     1988-1995,'' Office of National Drug Control Policy)
  That's more than what we spent in 1997's federal budget for programs 
to fund education, transportation improvements, agriculture, energy, 
space, and all foreign aid combined.

       Illegal drug users in the United States spent more than $57 
     billion on their street poisons in 1995 alone. American 
     consumers could have more wisely used that money to purchase 
     a four-year college education for one million kids; or 22 
     billion gallons of milk to feed babies; or, one year's worth 
     of child care for 14 million children. (November 10, 1997, 
     ``What America's Users Spend on Illegal Drugs: 1988-1995,'' 
     Office of National Drug Control Policy)

                          The Criminal Element

       70% of all hard drugs and illegal narcotics found in the 
     United States originally crossed the U.S./Mexican border. 
     (CRS)
       More than 1.5 million people were arrested from drug 
     offenses in 1996 alone. That's more than the number of 
     residents living in Montana and North Dakota COMBINED. 
     (November 10, 1997, ``What America's Users Spend on Illegal 
     Drugs: 1988-1995,'' Office of National Drug Control Policy)
       Between 70%-90% of all persons incarcerated in state 
     prisons are there for drug offenses. (November 10, 1997, 
     ``What America's Users Spend on Illegal Drugs: 1988-1995,'' 
     Office of National Drug Control Policy)
       Street cops, our foot soldiers in the War on Drugs, say 
     that reducing drug abuse would have the greatest single 
     impact on reducing violent crime. (Source: Fall 1997, ``Drug 
     Facts for the Record,'' House Government Reform & Oversight 
     Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs & 
     Criminal Justice briefing paper citing a 1995 study conducted 
     by the University of Maryland)

                  Perceptions & Realities About Drugs

       Nearly 9 in 10 people (85%) believe solving our drug crisis 
     is more urgent than less urgent. (Source: February 26, 1998, 
     ``America Assesses Drug Policy,'' Family Research Council)
       82% oppose drug legalization. (Source: same as above)
       Teenagers say drugs (35%) are their most important problem, 
     far ahead of social pressures (19%), crime (12%), sexual 
     issues (8%), academic pressures (8%), or family problems 
     (3%). (Source: September 1997, ``Back to School 1997,'' 
     Center for Addiction & Substance Abuse)
       45% of parents believe their son or daughter may have 
     friends who smoke pot. Yet 71% of teens say they have friends 
     who use the drug. (Source: April 13, 1998, ``Partnership 
     Attitude Study,'' Partnership for a Drug-Free America)
       Just 21% of parents acknowledged the possibility that their 
     teen might have tried marijuana, significantly lower than the 
     44% of teens who say they've done so. (Source: same as above)
       Some 54% of parents say they talked with their teenagers 
     about drugs at least four times in the last year, yet less 
     than a quarter (24%) of those teens recalled those 
     discussions. (Source: same as above)
       Less than one-third of teens (28%) named parents as a 
     source of drug information, while another third (31%) said 
     that in the past year their parents had never talked to them 
     about drugs. (Source: same as above)
       A plurality of those surveyed in the U.S. (39%) say the 
     primary objective of U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America 
     should be to decrease drug trafficking. (Source: April 16, 
     1998, ``A Meeting of Minds, From Peoria to Patagonia,'' The 
     Wall Street Journal)
  Mr. Speaker, these facts that we have been hearing about on this 
floor for the past week are what we are up against. As the evidence 
suggests, we can no longer allow the use and trade of illicit drugs to 
continue unchecked.
  It is time we send an unequivocal message to America that the House 
opposes illicit drugs. Drug users and pushers, beware. We are watching 
and we will find innovative ways to combat what users and pushers are 
doing in every category of legislation that we are facing.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a simple, yet important first step 
putting the United States Congress on record.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill, not so much in any 
objection to what the goals are. The goals are very laudable. The first 
time I read this resolution, I was in agreement with everything until 
the very end. Then I had some disagreements with it.
  I have taken this time so I would have adequate time to explain my 
position and why I oppose this bill. Obviously, this country is facing 
a serious problem with drugs. As a physician, I can attest to it. We 
have major problems in this country, something should be done. But I 
thought it was necessary to take some time to point out that what we 
have done for 20 to 25 years has not been all that good. And I see this 
resolution as an endorsement of the status quo, not an introduction of 
one single new idea about how to approach this problem. And it is for 
this reason that I have taken this time to try to get people to think 
about maybe an alternative some day that we might look at, because so 
far the spending of the money and the abuse of our civil liberties that 
has occurred with the war on drugs has not accomplished a whole lot.
  I object strongly to the Federal approach to law enforcement. That is 
one of the major issues I have contention with. When we think about 
when we tried to make a better world in 1919, and we thought we should 
prohibit certain substances being used in this country, in those days 
we had enough respect for the Constitution that we actually believed 
then that we should amend the Constitution, and we did and we had an 
experiment and after 14 years of a failed program, we repealed that 
amendment on alcohol.
  In 1937, it was decided that possibly we should restrict marijuana, 
even for medical use, and even then it was not assumed that this was a 
Federal prerogative. It was not banned, it was not outlawed. It was 
still assumed that it was the responsibility of the States to deal with 
problems of drugs and marijuana and law enforcement.
  In 1937, and I am sure some of my conservative colleagues might be 
interested in this because it was the great FDR who decided to impose a 
great tax on marijuana, putting $100 tax on a pound of marijuana, 
essentially making it illegal. And even today those States who would 
like to legalize marijuana even for the sick and dying AIDS patients 
and the cancer patients are not even permitted to. It is because we 
have carelessly assumed that all regulation and all controls and all 
policing activities should be done here in Washington.
  I am here just to suggest quite possibly our attack on drugs has not 
been correct, that we have possibly made some mistakes. Maybe we spent 
some money that we have not gotten our dollars' worth. Maybe we are 
going in the wrong direction.
  It is estimated that we have spent over $200 billion in the last 25 
years fighting drugs. And yet it is the same old thing again. Play on 
the emotions of the people, condemn drug usage, which I do. As I said 
as a physician, I know they are horrible. But as a politician and 
somebody in the legislature, we should think about the efficiency and 
the effectiveness of our laws.
  The evidence quite frankly is not there to show that we are doing a 
very good job. And even though I commend the individuals who are 
promoting this legislation, the motivations are there,

[[Page H2761]]

the desires are there, but I think, in my view, that it is the same old 
program of the Federal war on drugs that has a lot of shortcomings.
  The first ``whereas'' of this resolution, I strongly agree with. It 
says, ``Whereas recently revealed statistics demonstrate America is not 
winning the battle to keep young Americans drug-free.'' This is my 
point. This is conceded by everyone. We are not winning this fight, so 
why pursue the same policies over and over again, and especially since 
there are some shortcomings with the policy. Not only have they not 
been effective, there are some serious shortcomings, shortcomings on 
civil liberty and property rights and other things.

                              {time}  1445

  We ought to put the war on drugs in a proper perspective. Yes, it is 
easy to talk about a heroin addict and a crime committed and people 
narrowing in on one instance, but we ought to look at this in a proper 
manner.
  There is talk that there are 20,000 deaths with illegal drugs. But 
that, in the best of my estimates, includes all the violent drugs 
which, to me, are a consequence of the war on drugs.
  I have statistics that say there is about 6,000 people who die from 
overdosing and taking illegal drugs. A horrible figure. It is horrible. 
Nobody should be using these drugs. But let us put this in a different 
perspective.
  We lose 37,000 people on highways every year, government-managed 
highways. And 36,000 people die each year from guns. But we do not take 
the guns away from the innocent people because there are gun accidents 
and gun deaths. It is 36,000 in comparison to 6,000.
  There is one other figure that is astounding that was in the media, 
recorded in the media here the last couple of days. The medical 
profession has a responsibility here. It is estimated that we are 
losing 106,000 people a year. These are reports from 1994; 106,000 a 
year from drug reactions, legal prescription drugs coming from doctors.
  If we want to go after a problem, let us go after the highways, let 
us go after the guns, let us go after the drug reaction. What about 
alcohol? There are 200,000 deaths, approximately, from alcohol. But do 
we come here and propose that we go back to prohibition? No. We do not. 
It is a serious problem. It is really the big problem.
  Cigarette killing may be up to 400,000 a year. But if we make the 
suggestion that we want to go after them, then we have a President that 
says, yes, we will go after the kids that are taking a puff on the 
cigarette and apply the same rules.
  There are 10 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases 
diagnosed each year. It is probably higher because most of those cases 
do not get reported. So that is a serious problem. I mean, look for 
serious problems.
  To dwell on the drug war and casually and carelessly violate civil 
liberties, as we so often do, and have confiscation and seizure of 
property that we just blow it off because we are fighting the drug war, 
I think we are going in the wrong direction. We need some new ideas and 
new proposals on this drug war. I hope today to have time to make some 
of these suggestions on what we might do about the drug war.
  Former HEW Secretary Joseph Califano said, not too long ago, he was 
comparing the drug war to the problem of alcohol, he said: The drug war 
is a grain of sand compared to alcohol.
  If we look at the college issue, the overwhelming drug that is a 
problem on college campuses is alcohol. Yet, 99 percent of our concerns 
and our expression of horror is directed toward a narrower group of 
people; that is, on the illegal drugs.
  Why might it be that we dwell on the illegal drugs? Alcohol of course 
is legal, but why would it be that maybe this Congress might not be as 
aggressive against the abuses of alcohol and the deaths? If we have 
compassion, should we show less compassion to the 200,000 people dying 
of alcohol deaths or the 400,000 dying from cigarette deaths? But we 
do.
  It just happens that those who produce alcohol happen to come to 
Washington quite frequently. They make donations to candidates. They 
have a lobby. They do have a presence here in Washington. Not only 
those who make the alcohol, but what about the hotels or the 
restaurants?
  I mean, if we even thought about doing anything or saying anything 
about alcohol, of course we would hear from the hotels and the 
restaurants, and maybe rightfully so, if we argue that people have a 
right to have a glass of wine with their dinner in their hotel or 
restaurant. But the point I am trying to make is that we dwell on 
certain things out of proportion to its danger.
  Also, one reason why we might not talk about the tremendous abuse 
with alcohol is the fact that, quite possibly, a few Members of 
Congress actually participate in using such a thing. There are now 
probably 13 million people in this United States suffering from abuse 
or alcoholism, a serious, serious number.
  Now, there is a lot more that has to be said, especially if we can 
someday open up the debate and go in a new direction, have some new 
ideas dealing with the drug program. But I want to pause here for a 
minute, and I want to emphasize just one thing; that is, that, 
constitutionally, it was never intended that the Federal Government 
fight the war on drug. And they never did until recent years. For 25 
years now, we have done it. We have spent $200 billion.
  It is failing, and we are not willing to stand up and say, hey, maybe 
we are doing something wrong. Maybe we ought to have another idea. 
Maybe we ought to have a new approach.
  I think when we talk about not only looking at this outer perspective 
of other problems that we have in the country, but also the serious 
consequences of the drug laws which we all should be concerned about 
because it involves property rights and civil liberty rights, maybe we 
can get around to the point of saying maybe could there be a new 
approach.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
  (Mr. MARTINEZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the other side and the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas) for bringing this resolution, of 
which I am a cosponsor, to the floor today.
  I just want to take a second today to say that all of the 
``whereases'' deal with much of the problem that the previous speaker 
outlined. But in the end, the resolve is a resolve that he talks about, 
because Congress, in a unique way, can bring leadership and emphasis to 
the people in the communities to take an extra effort to combat this 
horrible disease that exists in our communities today: drugs.
  Obviously the extent of drug distribution, sale, or use by our 
Nation's youth today is extremely troubling. A joint effort by 
Republicans, Democrats, the President, and the American people really, 
I believe, is needed to fight this pressing issue.
  Too many of our Nation's youth have come to the perils of drugs. And 
I would not compare alcohol, which is a legal distribution, to drugs, 
as an illegal distribution, as being necessarily the same thing. They 
are horses of a different color.
  I want to commend the other side, and Representative Papas, for 
bringing this resolution, of which I am a cosponsor, to the floor 
today. Obviously, the extent of drug distribution, sale, or use by our 
Nation's youth is extremely troubling and a joint effort by Congress, 
the President and the American people is needed to combat this pressing 
problem.
  Too many of our Nation's youth succumb to the perils of drugs and 
this resolution sends a strong message that we must continue to commit 
ourselves to ending the tragedy caused by illegal drug abuse.
  For those who have followed the legislative history of this 
resolution, you are aware that I offered an amendment during committee 
consideration of this measure to include language regarding the need to 
improve the infrastructure of school buildings and their grounds as a 
component of our efforts to fight drug abuse.
  Anyone who has visited the schools in our Nation's worst drug plagued 
communities realize the impact that deteriorating buildings, lack of 
proper lighting and unmaintained grounds have on the likelihood of 
illegal drug sales and use. A well maintained, or newly constructed 
school is an important tool in the battles waged by local law 
enforcement and educators against youth drug abuse. In addition, the 
discussion of school infrastructure is a key component in our efforts 
both as a Congress, and a nation, to combat drug abuse by our Nation's 
youth. Unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle did 
not support this amendment.

[[Page H2762]]

  In closing, I do want to point out to all Members that this 
resolution is just that--a resolution. We as a Congress should be 
committing ourselves to providing the assistance and directive to 
providing the assistance and direction to solve the problems of illegal 
drug use. I will vote to support this resolution and I urge others to 
do so as well, but I would hope that this Congress, and the Republican 
leadership would begin to address the needs of our Nation rather than 
grandstanding for the purposes of election year politics. Mr. Speaker, 
very simply, this Congress needs to act upon solutions rather than 
resolutions.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson).
  Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas) for bringing forth this 
resolution. I strongly support it. It sends a clear, unambiguous 
message about Congress' commitment to removing drugs from our schools. 
Never before has this message been more urgently needed. And that 
includes alcohol.
  I believe drugs are the single greatest threat facing our children. 
Drug usage with the very young is exploding. More kids are trying and 
using drugs than ever before, and they are starting earlier and 
earlier. Our schools, which used to be a safe haven, are now becoming a 
hostile territory because drugs are available there.
  I have a granddaughter in fourth grade and granddaughter in eighth 
grade. It is not a matter of are they going to be exposed to drugs; it 
is how often and by whom. Because they are there, they have already 
been exposed.
  Students in sixth and seventh grade are deciding to smoke pot before 
they drink beer. How did we get here? I believe throughout the 1990s, 
many leaders and role models in the position to set a good example have 
sent mixed signals about whether drug use is wrong.
  Prominent national leaders have trivialized their own drug use as if 
it matters whether or not one inhales. Hollywood celebrities have 
glorified drugs, using them in the popular culture. And movies have 
been sending the wrong message to our young people. The behavior of 
many professional athletes has suggested that it is okay as long as 
they can get away with it.
  This is why this resolution, and the larger Republican agenda to make 
America drug free, is so important. With it, we draw a line in the 
sand.
  A couple quick statistics. The proportion of 12-year-olds who 
reported having a peer on hard drugs increased 12 percent just last 
year alone. National and State and local leaders must send a strong, 
clear message to our youth by an example.
  Hollywood needs to divert from its glorification of drugs to be 
against drugs. Professional sport teams need to put a line in the sand 
that says we are going to make it clear that drug users are not welcome 
on our teams. It is time that American celebrities set the example, and 
that includes all leaders, local, State, and national.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as I said, in most of our history, the control of drug 
abuse has never been a Federal issue. This is only very recent. This 
does not diminish one's concern. It is respecting the Constitution. It 
is also emphasizing the fact that the more we have centralized our 
control and the more that we have tried to enforce the thing at the 
national level, the worse the problem has gotten.
  I have many conservatives say we have an educational problem, and all 
they want to do is throw more money at it. I cannot see how this is 
different. Yes, we have a major problem. But it gets worse, and all we 
do is throw more money at it with exactly the same programs.
  My goal today is just to suggest, just to bring it to the Congress' 
attention, that possibly we are not doing the right things. If we would 
ever come to admitting that, then maybe we will not have to suffer the 
abuse of how the war on drugs goes awry.
  For instance, we have had this war on drugs, and there is no evidence 
even that we have been able to keep drugs out of our prisons. So maybe 
there is something we are doing wrong. Maybe we are treating a symptom 
rather than the cause of the problem. Maybe the cause is not 
legislatively correctable. That is a possibility. Obviously there is a 
problem there, but we need to think about it. We need to take a 
consideration, and not ever to write off those of us who might say we 
do not endorse the current approach as being one that might not be 
concerned about the issue.
  Obviously I am concerned. I have five children, and I have 13 
grandchildren. I am a physician. I have a great deal of concern. But I 
have also been involved and I have seen people who have suffered, and, 
therefore, I have probably a slightly different approach to the 
problem.
  But I do think that we ought to look for a minute at the harm done 
with the war on drugs. So often there are victims from the war on drugs 
that go unnoticed. How often have we seen on television, how often have 
we read in our newspaper of a drug bust with hooded FBI agents and 
hooded DEA agents barging into the wrong apartment and really tearing 
the place up, confiscating property of people who have never committed 
a crime?
  Why are we at the point now that we permit the war on drugs to be 
fought without due process of law? All they have to be is a suspect. 
All we have to do is have cash these days, and the government will come 
and take it from us. Then we have to prove our innocence. That is not 
the Constitution. We have gone a long way from the due process.
  Our job here is to protect the civil liberties of individuals. Yes, 
we ought to try to influence behavior. Yes, we ought to make laws 
against illegal behavior; national, when necessary, but local when the 
Constitution dictates it. At the rate we are going, we are making very, 
very little progress.
  I have a suspicion that there are motivations behind the invasion of 
privacy. Because government so often likes to know what people are 
doing, especially in the financial area, this has been a tremendous 
excuse to accuse anybody who spends anything in cash of being a drug 
dealer, because they want to know where the cash is. This is part of 
the IRS collection agency, because they are worried about collecting 
enough revenues.
  Yet we carelessly say, well, a little violation of civil liberties is 
okay, because we are doing so much good for the country and we are 
collecting revenues for the government. But we cannot casually dismiss 
these important issues, especially, if anything I suggest, that this 
war on drugs is, or the problem of drugs in perspective is not nearly 
what some people claim it to be, and that many people are dying from 
other problems rather than these.
  I would like to suggest in closing some of the things that we can 
consider. First, let us consider the Constitution, for instance. We 
have no authority to create a Federal police force. That is not in the 
Constitution. So we ought to consider that. It is a State problem. It 
is a State law enforcement problem. Most of our history, it was dealt 
that way.
  I think education is very important; people who know what is going 
on. We should, if anything, be emphasizing the educational process. 
Possibly my medical background influences me into what I am going to 
say next; and that is, could we conceive of looking at some of this 
problem of addiction as a disease rather than a criminal act? We do 
this with alcohol. Maybe that would help the problem.

                              {time}  1500

  Is it conceivable that we are looking at a symptom that the drug 
problem, the drug craze, is a reflection of moral values in the 
society?
  We cannot get rid of teenage illegitimacy by writing a national law 
against teenage pregnancy. We are not likely, we have not been able to 
get rid of drug usage, teenage drug usage, by writing national laws and 
coming down with the armed might of the Federal Government. So I do not 
think the current process is going to work.
  Kids go on drugs because they are seeking happiness, they are alone, 
they are in broken families. This is a problem that will not be solved 
by more laws and a greater war on drugs. We have 80,000 Federal 
policemen now carrying drugs. Character is what is needed. Laws do not 
create character. This does not dismiss us from expressing concern 
about this problem, but let us not make the problem worse.
  In 1974, Switzerland passed a law that said that the doctor could 
prescribe

[[Page H2763]]

medication for addicts. I, as a physician, if an addict comes into my 
office and I agree to give him drugs which would support his habit, 
because I figure for him to go out on the street and shoot somebody for 
it is a little worse than me trying to talk him into a program by 
giving him drugs for a while, I am a criminal. I am a criminal today if 
I decide that somebody should use or could use marijuana if they are 
dying with cancer or AIDS and they are dying of malnutrition because 
they cannot eat. There should be a little bit of compassion in this 
movement.
  Again, we cannot distract from the serious problem of the drug war, 
but I do beg and plead for my colleagues to just look at the truth. Let 
us read the news carefully, let us look at the Constitution, like we do 
when it is convenient, and let us consider another option. It cannot be 
any worse than what we are doing.
  We have too many people on drugs, and this resolution makes my point. 
The war on drugs has failed. Let us do something different. Let us not 
pursue this any longer.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Miller).
  (Mr. MILLER of California asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding me this time.
  There is no doubt that we should do everything we can to discourage 
the sale and use of drugs by our Nation's youth, but we do the youth of 
our Nation a disservice by suggesting that they alone are responsible 
for the Nation's drug problem. And we do them an even greater 
disservice by coming to the floor with an empty political gesture that 
plays to the worst stereotype of young people, while at the same time 
the Republican leadership of this Congress refuses to lift a finger on 
behalf of this Nation's youth.
  Today, the Congress will make this simplistic statement about a very 
complex problem. It will scapegoat our Nation's young people for the 
problem for which, in reality, we all should be taking responsibility 
for. It is not a question of America's public commitment to the war 
against drugs, to the commitment of the parents of our young children 
to the war against drugs; it is the problem of a very tired, outdated 
and ineffective war on drugs.
  Let me also point out what this resolution and this Congress will 
fail to do. It will fail to reward the vast majority of youth who stay 
out of trouble, in many cases overcoming great obstacles, such as 
poverty or difficult family circumstances; it will fail to promise 
America's youth improved conditions in their schools, conditions which 
adults would never tolerate in their own workplaces; it will fail to 
tell America's youth that we want them to share in the benefits of a 
boom economy and unprecedented prosperity by expanding their 
educational and economic opportunities; it will fail to promise them 
the protection of being victims of violence or abuse, either at the 
hands of their peers, in their own families or someone much older than 
themselves; it will fail to provide for after-school programs to make 
productive use of the time that young people have in the late 
afternoons.
  The number one complaint among young people is there is nothing to 
do, and yet we see music programs, arts programs, and educational 
programs all scaled back. No alternatives. No alternatives to people 
just hanging out.
  This Congress will fail to announce a commitment of stopping tobacco 
companies from targeting our young people by aggressively marketing 
their product that will ultimately kill more than every illegal drug 
combined. Instead, the most affluent generation of elders in this 
Nation's history will scold its youth and tell them they are bad and 
shirk its responsibility for making things better.
  It is easy to bash teens. And while we should not minimize the very 
real problem of drug use by America's young people, let us make sure 
the record is straight about the entire drug problem. Teenagers account 
for less than 1 percent of illegal drug deaths. The adult drug death 
rate is nearly 10 times higher than that of adolescents.
  While the use of illegal drugs by young people actually decreased 
between 1979 and 1994, for adults over the age of 35 it increased by 28 
percent. The top three causes of death among youth are automobile 
accidents, homicides, and suicides. The drug that is the factor in most 
of those car crashes is alcohol, but it is not addressed by this 
resolution.
  In fact, just a few short weeks ago we saw the leadership cave to the 
alcohol lobby. We were not allowed to have an amendment voted on by the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) to toughen laws against drunk 
driving.
  Mr. Speaker, I will vote for this measure, as I expect all Members 
will, because I agree with most of what it says. But the things it does 
not say and the things it fails to do to provide hope and opportunity 
for this Nation's young people say more about where we are as a Nation 
and falling short on our responsibilities to our Nation's youth.
  Finally, I would like to say that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) 
has raised a whole series of questions this Congress is afraid to 
debate. My colleagues should ask their constituents, the next time they 
are in a town hall meeting, if they believe the war on drugs is 
working. Tell them we have spent $200 billion.
  It may be the least effective program we have on the Nation's books. 
There is no other market in the world where we would spend $200 billion 
interfering with the market and the price of drugs on the street would 
never change over a two decade period of time. That is the testimony. 
The market every day turns in a report on the war on drugs, and the 
market says the cost of doing business has not gone up one scintilla.
  We ought to start thinking about new tools and a new approach and we 
ought to stop pretending like this is only a problem for young people 
in this country.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson), who has been a leader in the antidrug 
effort.
  I would like to note also, Mr. Speaker, that I appreciate the support 
of the gentleman from California, the previous speaker, for this 
measure.
  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution, which simply expresses the sense of Congress that we as 
Americans remain committed to the war on drugs.
  Now, I want to commend my friend from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas), who 
has done an excellent job in leading this fight, and also my friend 
from Texas who has spoken against this resolution, and I want to 
address a couple of concerns that he has raised.
  He says this resolution is an endorsement of the status quo. It is 
just the contrary. It is saying that the status quo is unacceptable. 
The present situation, where we have teenage drug use soaring, is not 
acceptable. We have to get off the dime. We, as a country, have to do 
something to remain committed.
  The gentleman from California that just spoke, he started pointing 
fingers and being critical of this. Well, the status quo is whenever we 
take $1 billion away from our efforts for interdiction; whenever 
Federal drug prosecutions fall 12 percent since 1992; whenever the DEA 
agents are cut.
  How can we fight a war on drugs when we are cutting those types of 
resources? That is the status quo. We need leadership and we need to go 
in a different direction. This resolution says we welcome new ideas. We 
want a different approach. We want to do more, and we, as a Nation, 
must be committed, and that is the direction that we need to go.
  The argument is we do not want to Federalize all law enforcement and 
make this a Federal issue. Certainly we need to fight this community to 
community. I have been in Gentry, a town of a thousand in Arkansas; I 
am going to Waldron, a town of 400 in Arkansas; and we were talking 
about what we can do as community, fighting this war community by 
community.
  But there is a Federal role. And the argument is, well, the 
Constitution does not allow this. But the Constitution says that the 
United States Government must protect itself, it is its responsibility, 
from enemies, foreign and domestic. And this is an enemy that affects 
our national security, and it is a very appropriate role for our 
Federal Government to be involved in this battle.
  The Federal Government and the communities have a job to do. We must

[[Page H2764]]

do it together. We must work together, both Democrats, Republicans, 
independents, all fighting together to win this. I ask for your support 
for this resolution.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
point out, once again, that up until just very recently in our history, 
it was assumed that the Federal Government did not have this authority. 
To assume that we do have this, I guess that is why we call it a war, 
to say that this is national defense.
  But prohibition, obviously, when they passed that amendment to the 
Constitution, recognized that the Congress could not pass laws. And 
like I mentioned in 1937, when Roosevelt decided that we should attack 
medical marijuana, that he would do it through raising taxes. So it is 
only in recent history that we have decided that this is a Federal 
project. The record is just not very clear it has been very successful.
  I am concerned not only about the drug usage, obviously, and the fact 
that the war has failed, but with those things that are so negative 
when it comes to violation of liberties.
  The other day there was a story in the media that said there was a 
child suffering from an acute attack of asthma. Now, there was another 
asthmatic in the class, and she did what seemed to come natural to her: 
She went and gave her a whiff of her nebulizer and the girl immediately 
came out of her acute asthma attack. She was quickly apprehended under 
a Federal statute saying that she was disobeying the Federal law on the 
use of drugs.
  Now, it might be advisable to caution a young child about giving 
medications to another, but this was very obvious and very clear. She 
happened to have been a hero with the other students and she was 
certainly a hero for the girl she helped.
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Washington, D.C. (Ms. Norton).
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Drug-free schools should be a redundancy. I regret that the 
expression is not, and I hope that we are looking for ways to make it a 
redundancy instead of a slogan.
  As it turns out, the best argument for the tobacco bill, or at least 
a good tobacco bill this year, may not just be tobacco but its role in 
other drugs. We have struck out so often on drugs, we might well look 
at tobacco.
  Mr. Speaker, it is hard to find a junkie that did not begin with 
tobacco or alcohol. That is the entryway to marijuana and to hard 
drugs. A youngster gets to feeling good off of a soft drug, like 
tobacco or alcohol, and he wants to find out more. Yet we have very 
little concentration there. And it looks like this Congress may 
actually go home without a tobacco bill.
  I was just at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Building and 
International Trade Center and heard very moving remarks by Mrs. 
Reagan. I am not one of those who made fun of her notion ``Just Say 
No,'' because I think that there are a significant number of youngsters 
who will say no if we stand up and say ``Just Say No.'' But we must ask 
about the rest. What about those who need more; who is going to take 
responsibility for them? They are, after all, only children. I applaud 
her for beginning there. It is up to this body to go the rest of the 
way.
  Who really needs our help are parents. They find competition from the 
media and from the streets often to be overwhelming.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Goss).
  (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman for 
yielding me this time.
  I rise today to underscore one of the greatest unnecessary obstacles 
to the education of our children: drugs. We all know the word; we all 
know the problem.
  Drugs are a fact of life for America's children and we have to deal 
with that. Over half of all high school seniors have tried an illegal 
drug and nearly one in two can buy marijuana within an hour. There is 
not a community, a school, a family in this Nation that is immune to 
the destructive pervasiveness of drugs.

                              {time}  1515

  We all know it is past time to stop paying lip service and get on 
with the war on drugs and start with positive and specific action. 
Stalemate is unacceptable. The administration's effort to curb this 
trend has been sadly negligent. We know that. It ranges from ``no 
commitment'' to ``wrong message.''
  While cocaine and heroin prices have steadily declined and teen drug 
has skyrocketed, the administration has cut international interdiction 
by $1 billion and drug arrests have fallen by 12 percent. Let me tell 
my colleagues, as the chairman of the House Committee on Intelligence, 
that stopping supply is possible and it matters. We cannot continue to 
let drugs stand in the way of the safety and education of our children, 
obviously.
  So we are committed to attacking the drug epidemic on all fronts, 
from production to the school room. Working together, I think we can 
reduce the flow of drugs in this country by 80 percent in the next few 
years. And then we are going to go after the remaining 20 percent, 
because we do not need drugs.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to myself.
  I wanted to clarify a couple of things that were said here earlier. 
One is, in fact, when the government cut back its interdiction effort, 
we saw the street prices on cocaine and crack drop and the epidemic 
swept across America. Another question is whether or not certain rights 
have been violated unintentionally or even intentionally. They should 
not be. We need to be careful of that.
  But, in fact, the little 2-year-old in Fort Wayne and the 5-year-old 
who were shot down in a drive-by shooting had their rights violated as 
well. We have to get control of this drug epidemic in our homes, in our 
neighborhoods, and in our schools.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Nethercutt). All time has expired.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that we have 2 
additional minutes, divided equally between the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Martinez) and myself.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  It has been said here several times that we have not done enough in 
the fight on drugs, and certainly that is true. Anyone who has visited, 
though, the schools in our district realize that a lot of the drug 
activity in those schools that are plagued with the worst deterioration 
of their buildings and they lack proper lighting and unmaintained 
grounds which really are a breeding ground for drug sales and use.
  I offered an amendment that would have added that into this 
resolution. Of course, that was defeated. Regardless, I will support 
the resolution because where so many of my colleagues have said we have 
not done enough and we are losing the fight on drugs, that may be true, 
but that is no reason not to do anything. And what we are trying to do 
with this resolution, especially in the resolve clauses, is demonstrate 
that we, as a Nation, feel we should be more committed to that fight.
  And the results portion of the resolution talk about the coordination 
between Federal law enforcement and local law enforcement in the fight 
against drugs. It tries to bring everybody together, the resolution 
does. It says, ``All Government leaders and parents share a role in 
raising the awareness of this issue and offering constructive 
alternatives to illegal drug use.''
  I urge my colleagues to vote for this resolution.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas), who has been a leader on this 
effort, who serves on the drug task force and who is the sponsor of 
this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas) 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  (Mr. PAPPAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)

[[Page H2765]]

  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana for 
yielding, and I thank my colleagues for considering this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I include the following two letters for the Record, one 
from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and one from the U.S. 
Chamber of Commerce, endorsing this resolution:

                                                 Partnership for a


                                            Drug-Free America,

                                   New York, NY, January 29, 1998.
     Congressman Michael Pappas,
     Longworth House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Pappas: The Partnership for a Drug-Free 
     America strongly supports H.Res. 267 and any constructive 
     efforts directed toward the goal of drug-free schools.
       The Partnership is currently providing creative 
     development, production, and programmatic support to the 
     anti-drug media campaign being administered by the Office of 
     National Drug Control Policy. The objective of the campaign 
     is simple--to effectively reach young people and parents 
     through media exposure at levels achieved during the late 
     1980's and very early 1990's--with the goal of reducing drug 
     use in the 9 to 17 year old age group by 50 percent or more.
       The media campaign is, of course, one piece of what must be 
     a comprehensive effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate 
     drug use among our young people. Effective programs to remove 
     drugs from our nation's schools will provide yet another key 
     component in creating an environment for youth in which drugs 
     do not play a role.
       Your leadership and support on this issue is greatly 
     appreciated. Please let me know if the Partnership may be of 
     any assistance as a resource for the development of school 
     based anti-drug programs.
           Sincerely,
                                              Richard D. Bonnette,
     President and CEO.
                                  ____



                                     U.S. Chamber of Commerce,

                                 Washington, DC, February 3, 1998.
     Hon. Michael Pappas,
     Longworth House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Pappas: I was pleased to receive your 
     letter and a copy of your bill H.Res. 267, calling on our 
     country to eliminate illicit drugs from our nation's schools 
     by the year 2000. The U.S. Chamber shares your concern about 
     the use of drugs by students and by those in the workplace. 
     In fact, we recently announced our policy priorities for 
     1998, including a greater involvement of the business 
     community in efforts to crackdown on crime and drug use in 
     their local communities and places of business. The fear and 
     reality of crime saps the spirit and productivity of workers 
     and is detrimental to the overall well being of all 
     communities.
       Therefore, on behalf of the more than three million members 
     of the U.S. Chamber federation I am pleased to announced our 
     support for H.Res. 267 and look forward to working with you 
     to accomplish the goals it establishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                Thomas J. Donohue,
                                                President and CEO.

  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 267 expresses the sense of the House of 
Representatives that the citizens of the United States must remain 
committed to combat the distribution, sale, and use of illegal drugs by 
our Nation's youth. We must all remain committed to this cause, all of 
us.
  When it came to the issue of sexual harassment, our society made it 
clear, ``no'' meant ``no.'' When it came to reducing drunk driving, we 
were firm in our resolve that ``If you drive drunk and risk the lives 
of others, you will be punished.'' So I stand here today with the same 
determination. When it comes to drugs, ``no'' means ``no.''
  So let me put the pushers of drugs on alert. When they are caught, 
they will be arrested and found guilty and they will go to jail, 
period.
  We are all in this together, to protect our schools, streets, 
neighborhoods and communities. In this fight, I am convinced that it 
will be local solutions that will solve this national problem. The 
poison, yes, the poison, that threatens our youth also threatens our 
Nation's future. We need to continue to push for efforts in this 
Congress that will deter the demand for drugs and end the supply. 
Beyond that, I will do whatever I can to highlight the success of local 
community programs that are on the front lines of this battle in our 
communities.
  I often have the opportunity to meet with school groups visiting 
Washington, D.C., from my district. I also spend a great deal of time 
in New Jersey visiting classrooms and speaking with students of all 
ages. One of the things that I ask them is what is the most important 
issue facing them. Hands down, the number one issue that they tell me 
is drugs.
  We cannot deny the problem. We cannot look the other way. We must 
accept its existence and face it head on from the bottom up, from each 
of our communities to those of us here in Washington, D.C.
  Marijuana use among teens, as has been mentioned before, is on the 
rise because, by many, it is deemed ``socially acceptable.'' Well, it 
is not acceptable and we need to say it. We all need to say it. The 
President, the Congress, we all need to say it. But if we work 
together, parents, public officials, and young people, we can ensure 
that the lives of our children are safer, more productive, and free of 
the drugs that cripple the mind and destroy the soul.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the indulgence of the House. I urge my 
colleagues to support this resolution. We are making a statement. Talk 
is cheap, but I believe if this Congress does not make itself very, 
very clear that use of drugs among our young people, sale of drugs to 
our young people is not acceptable, we will not make progress.
  This is a war that can be won, but we have to remain committed to do 
so. We have to speak so very, very clearly in a unified voice. And I 
certainly believe that this resolution is an important step in that 
process.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House 
Resolution 267, legislation which states congressional support of 
fighting the effects of illegal drugs on our children.
  The threat posed by illegal drugs is one of the major national 
security threats facing our Nation. This is not empty hyperbole, but 
the cold truth. The vast majority of the illegal drugs in this country 
come from overseas. The sooner we realize that drugs are as much a 
foreign as a domestic problem, the more effective our response will be.
  While opponents argue that we spend too much on combating drugs, I 
contend that we cannot ignore the true cost of drug use on our society. 
In addition to the costs associated with supply and demand reduction, 
drug use costs billions each year in health care expenses and lost 
productivity. Moreover, it has intangible costs in terms of broken 
families and destroyed lives.
  As chairman of our House International Relations Committee, I have 
long been dedicated to fighting the scourge of illegal drugs. 
Regrettably of late, this is a battle which as a nation we are losing.
  During the 1980's, we made remarkable progress in reducing teenage 
drug use, and eliminating the view that drugs and drug use were 
socially acceptance. Between 1979 and 1992, there was a 50 percent drop 
in ``past month'' drug users from over 25 million down to 12 million.
  Our focus during this period was two-fold, and followed a dual track 
of reducing both supply and demand. Regrettably, this administration 
sharply curtailed interdiction funding and placed greater emphasis on 
demand reduction. The end result has been: a sharp increase in the 
supply of drugs available on our streets, the highest purity levels 
ever encountered, and a resurgence of teenage drug use. From 1992 to 
1996, teenage marijuana use doubled. More disturbing is the data 
showing a significant rise in heroin use among our teenagers.
  In essence, the Clinton administration's policy of focusing on demand 
reduction is being overwhelmed by the current state of the drug market. 
With many of our cities literally awash in heroin, the drug dealers are 
using supply to create demand.
  In order to effectively combat the problem of illegal drug use, we 
must employ a balanced approach of simultaneously reducing supply and 
demand. In addition, it requires efforts by all levels of government 
and society.
  This reduction emphasizes this approach and calls for Congress and 
the administration to work with local communities, schools and parents 
to develop and implement meaningful anti-drug policies.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this worthy 
piece of legislation. For too long we have had a disjointed approach to 
combating teenage drug use. If, as a nation, we are willing to reduce 
teenage use of tobacco, surely we can do the same for the use of 
illegal drugs.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, this resolution represents an important 
commitment by the House of Representatives. I am proud that my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle are willing to stand up and lead 
in the fight against drug use among our nation's youth.
  Building on this good effort, I will be introducing specific bills 
that bolster efforts to reduce drug use and I hope my colleagues will 
join me in those efforts.
  I have drafted a resolution to encourage every Member to establish or 
support an anti-drug coalition in their community. Last year when we 
passed the Drug-Free Communities Act to provide matching grants to such 
coalitions, I started an effort to get Members involved in such 
efforts. Both the Republican

[[Page H2766]]

Conference and the Democratic Caucus endorsed the idea, and, to date, 
76 Members have committed to getting involved. I would like to increase 
that number to 435.
  Later this week, I plan to introduce legislation to promote drug-free 
workplace programs among small businesses, including special programs 
for parents in the workplace to help them keep their kids drug-free. 
Later in the month, I will be introducing legislation to improve 
treatment in our prisons and jails so that inmates can return as drug-
free members of society and, in many cases, set an example for their 
children. I look forward to working with other Members on their 
proposals to address this tremendous problem.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in support of 
House Resolution 267, a resolution which expresses our commitment to 
fighting the scourge of illegal drugs in our schools and Nation.
  We hear on a regular basis about how drugs are destroying our schools 
and ripping apart families. Teenage years are hard enough without our 
children having to face the threat of drugs on a daily basis. A survey 
conducted for The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at 
Columbia University (CASA) found that 76 percent of high school 
students and 46 percent of middle school students say drugs are kept, 
used or sold on school grounds.
  We also know that while marijuana use by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders 
declined from 1980-1992, from 1992-1996 such use dramatically 
increased--by 253 percent among 8th graders, 151 percent among 10th 
graders, and 84 percent among 12th graders.
  Mr. Speaker, the survey also shows that 500,000 8th graders began 
using marijuana in the 6th and 7th grades, and that those who use 
marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than those who 
abstain from marijuana.
  Former HEW Secretary and President of the National Center on 
Addiction and Drug Abuse, Joseph Califano, Jr., recently spoke on the 
gravity of the problem. He said ``While our schools used to be 
sanctuaries for students, many have become candy stores of dangerous 
substances--cigarettes, alcohol, inhalants, marijuana, heroin, cocaine 
and acid--sold or used by classmates on the school grounds.''
  It is important that we remain committed to eradicating the use of 
drugs from our schools and making sure that everyone--students, 
parents, teachers--know that there is zero tolerance when it comes to 
the use of illegal drugs.
  I urge all my colleagues to join in supporting this important 
resolution.
  Mr. RIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of House 
Resolution 267, a resolution which expresses our commitment to fighting 
the plague of illegal drugs.
  In a report released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy 
last December, statistics paint the picture of the extent of the drug 
problem in this country:
  An estimated 12.8 Americans--about 6 percent of the household 
population aged twelve and older--have used drugs within the past 30 
days.
  Every year drug abuse kills 14,000 Americans and costs taxpayers 
nearly $70 billion.
  Drug abuse fuels spouse and child abuse, property and violent crime, 
the incarceration of young men and women, the spread of AIDS, workplace 
accidents, motor vehicle accidents, and absenteeism.
  Drug use among our Nation's youth has, unfortunately, increased 126 
percent among eighth graders between 1991 and 1996.
  Every day, an average of 6,488 American children and teens try 
marijuana for the first time; 1,786 try cocaine; and 386 try heroin.
  Other surveys show:
  More than one-half or 54.3 percent of our high school seniors have 
tried an illicit drug, and about one in four or 26.2 percent use 
illicit drugs on a regular or monthly basis.
  And the prevalence of the problem cuts across all gender, race, and 
geographic groups.
  As I've mentioned on other occasions, I believe one of the leading 
causes of the drug scourge in this country is the decline and break-up 
of the American family. If we can get our families back together, then 
I believe we will begin to make real progress in the war on drugs. It 
starts at this most basic unit of society. If we can turn the tide in 
the family, then we can turn the tide in the nation.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution represents one step in turning the tide. 
It sends a message that the distribution, sale and use of illegal drugs 
in schools will simply not be tolerated. It's a message that's much-
needed and overdue.
  I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this 
resolution that expresses the sense of the House that all schools 
should be drug-free and that the sale, distribution and use of illegal 
drugs at school is unacceptable. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
passing this important resolution.
  As the former Superintendent of North Carolina's public schools, I 
know firsthand that we cannot expect our children to learn in drug-
infested surroundings. We cannot expect our teachers to provide quality 
instruction in an arena infiltrated by the scourge of drugs. And we 
cannot expect our families, parents, businesses and communities to 
support our public education system unless we are doing everything 
possible to make our schools drug-free.
  A recent survey conducted for the National Center on Addiction and 
Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that seventy-six percent 
of high school students and forty-six percent of middle school students 
say drugs are kept, used or sold on school grounds. These appalling 
statistics are simply unacceptable.
  House Resolution 267 also states that all federal, state and local 
drug fighting agencies should work together with schools and parents to 
ensure that a renewed effort be made to fight drug use; and that all 
governmental leaders and parents should share in raising the awareness 
of this issue. Finally, the resolution states that Congress and the 
president should set a goal to end the distribution, sale and use of 
illegal drugs in the Nation's schools by 2000, and to work with local 
communities and parents to achieve this goal.
  I urge all my colleagues--Democrats and Republicans alike--to join me 
in passing this important resolution.
  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time has expired.
  The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Indiana 
(Mr. Souder) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution, House Resolution 267, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________