[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 34 (Thursday, March 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO PROHIBIT FEDERAL FUNDS FROM BEING USED 
                  TO DEVELOP NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 1999

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce bipartisan 
legislation that will continue the war on drugs by prohibiting federal 
funds from being used to develop needle exchange programs. These 
programs are harmful to communities and undermine our nation's drug 
control efforts. Similar legislation overwhelmingly passed the House 
last year with broad bipartisan support.
  Drug abuse continues to ravage our communities, our schools and our 
children. Heroin use is again on the rise. Unfortunately, thousands of 
children will inject hard core drugs like heroin and cocaine for the 
first time this year, and many of them will not make it to adulthood. 
To deal with this problem, we must have a firm commitment by the 
federal government to end the cycle of addiction and abuse that 
destroys so many lives.
  Not only are needle exchange programs in conflict with federal law, 
but the results of community-based needle exchange programs have been 
disastrous. Needle exchange programs result in towns with higher crime, 
schools that are littered with used drug paraphernalia, and 
neighborhoods that are magnets for drug addicts and the high-risk 
behavior that accompany them.
  Providing free hypodermic needles to addicts so they can continue to 
inject illegal drugs sends a terrible message to our children--that 
Congress has given up on the fight to stop illegal drug use and that 
the federal government implicitly condones this illegal activity. As 
lawmakers, we have a responsibility to rise up and fight against the 
use and spread of drugs everywhere we can. We should start by making it 
harder, not easier to practice this deadly habit. This bipartisan, 
common sense legislation will reaffirm the federal government's 
commitment to the war on drugs.
  While supporters of these dangerous programs can overlook the damage 
they do to our communities and our children simply because they believe 
they serve a public health interest, the medical evidence is simply not 
there. Studies have shown that addicts who use needle exchange programs 
are more likely to contract HIV or other blood-borne viruses. A recent 
study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that 
there was no indication that needle exchanges protected against blood-
borne infections. In fact, the study concluded, ``there was no 
indication of a protective effect of syringe exchange against HBV or 
HCV infection. Indeed, highest incidence of infection occurred among 
current users of the exchange, even after adjusting for confounding 
variables.''
  Mr. Speaker, when the President unveiled his anti-drug strategy, 
Vice-President Gore stated, ``We must mount an all-out effort to banish 
crime, drugs and disorder and hopelessness from our streets once and 
for all.'' Yet, in the words of the President's own National Drug Czar, 
General Barry McCaffrey, ``these programs are magnets for all social 
ills--pulling in crime, violence, addicts, prostitution, dealers and 
gangs and driving out hope and opportunity.'' Mr. Speaker, we will 
never banish crime, drugs, disorder and hopelessness by providing those 
responsible for it with the tools of their trade.
  The United States government must never give up on the war against 
the deadly drugs that continue to destroy our neighborhoods, our 
schools and so many of our families. We should not tell our children 
``Don't do drugs,'' on the one hand, while giving them free needles to 
shoot up with the other. We need a national drug control policy which 
emphasizes education, interdiction, prevention and treatment--NOT 
subsidies for addicts.
  I urge my colleagues to heed the advice of General McCaffrey and 
ensure that the federal government is not in the business of 
subsidizing irresponsible, reckless and illegal behavior. The federal 
government should provide leadership, NOT needles.

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