[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 40 (Monday, March 15, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2657-S2658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MURKOWSKI:
  S. 609. A bill to amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities Act of 1994 to prevent the abuse of inhalants through 
programs under the Act, and for other purposes; read the first time.


      the safe and drug-free schools and communities act amendment

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that 
will help fight a silent epidemic among America's youth. This epidemic 
can leave young people permanently brain damaged, and in some cases 
even dead. It is called inhalant abuse. An awful lot of attention goes 
to substance abuse--alcohol, drugs--but very little attention is being 
given to inhalant abuse. It seems to be the silent killer.

[[Page S2658]]

 I ask that the bill be introduced pursuant to Senate rule 14 and be 
placed immediately on the Calendar.
  My bill amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 
1994 to include inhalant abuse among the act's definition of ``abused 
substances,'' thereby allowing schools the option to educate students 
about the horrors of inhalant abuse.
  What exactly are inhalants? What are we talking about? Inhalants are 
the intentional breathing of gas or vapors for the purpose of getting a 
high. Over 1,400 common products can be abused--lighter fluid, 
pressurized whipped cream, hair spray; gasoline is often used in my 
rural State of Alaska. These products are inexpensive, they are easily 
obtained, and, most of all, they are legal. One inhalant abuse 
counselor told me, ``If it smells like a chemical, it can be abused.''
  It is a silent epidemic because few adults appreciate the severity of 
the problem or how often it occurs. It is estimated one in five 
students have tried inhalants by the time they reach the eighth grade. 
The use of inhalants by children has nearly doubled in the last 10 
years. Inhalants are the third most abused substance among teenagers, 
behind alcohol and tobacco.
  Inhalants are deadly. Inhalant vapors react with fatty tissues of the 
brain and literally dissolve those tissues. A one-time use of inhalants 
can cause instant and permanent brain damage, heart failure, kidney 
failure, liver failure, or death. The user can also suffer instant 
heart failure. This is known as sudden sniffing death syndrome. This 
means an abuser can die on the very first time he or she tries it or 
the 10th time or the 100th time that an individual sees fit to use an 
inhalant. In fact, according to a recent study by the National Native 
Health Consortium, ``inhaling has a higher risk of `instant death' than 
any other abused substance.'' Think of that: Inhalants have a higher 
risk of instant death, the first time, than any other abused substance.
  That is what happened last year to Theresa, an 18-year-old who lived 
in a rural western Alaska village. Last year Theresa was inhaling 
gasoline; shortly thereafter, her heart stopped. She was found outside 
in the near-zero temperature. Theresa was the youngest of five children 
and just a month shy of graduation. She was flown to the Fairbanks 
Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
  Earlier this year in Pennsylvania, a teenaged driver with four 
teenaged passengers lost control of her car in broad daylight. The car 
hit a tree with such impact that all the passengers were killed. High 
levels of a chemical found in computer keyboard cleaners--think about 
this, computer keyboard cleaners--were found in the young driver's 
body. The medical examiner report cited impairment due to inhalant 
abuse as the cause of that crash.
  Mr. Haviland, the principal of the school that the five girls 
attended, said the teacher never suspected that the students were 
involved with inhalants. That is why this bill is so important. The 
most effective prevention against inhalant abuse is education. It is 
preventable. But educators must first know about inhalants before they 
can teach our kids of their dangers.
  My bill will amend section 4131 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities Act to allow States and communities the option to develop 
programs on inhalant abuse. Under my amendment, the principals, 
teachers, and counselors will be able to learn about inhalants and will 
have the option to develop educational programs to teach about inhalant 
abuse.
  There is no cost associated with this legislation. This bill makes 
fiscal sense. A 1993 study by the Alaska Indian Health Service revealed 
that a 19-year-old chronic inhalant abuser could have an average 
lifetime cost of up to $1.4 million. These are the costs of chronic 
medical care, substance abuse treatment, rehabilitation treatment, and 
social services. The costs go on and on. We can save those costs if we 
just prevent this type of abuse.
  The goal of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act is to 
save the lives of young people, but currently only illegal drugs, 
alcohol, and tobacco are covered under the definitions of this act. 
This bill will help us solve the problem and save the lives of our 
youth. We support this legislation.
  I ask unanimous consent the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 609

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

       Section 4131 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
     Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7141) is amended by adding 
     at the end the following:
       ``(7) Abuse.--The term `abuse', used with respect to an 
     inhalant, means the intentional breathing of gas or vapors 
     from the inhalant for the purpose of achieving an altered 
     state of consciousness.
       ``(8) Drug.--The term `drug' includes a substance that is 
     an inhalant, whether or not possession or consumption of the 
     substance is legal.
       ``(9) Inhalant.--The term `inhalant' means a product that--
       ``(A) may be a legal, commonly available product; and
       ``(B) has a useful purpose but can be abused, such as spray 
     paint, glue, gasoline, correction fluid, furniture polish, a 
     felt tip marker, pressurized whipped cream, an air freshener, 
     butane, or cooking spray.
       ``(10) Use.--The term `use', used with respect to an 
     inhalant, means abuse of the inhalant.''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Section 4002 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
     Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7102) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, and the abuse of 
     inhalants,'' after ``other drugs'';
       (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and the illegal use of 
     alcohol and drugs'' and inserting ``, the illegal use of 
     alcohol and drugs, and the abuse of inhalants'';
       (3) in paragraph (7), by striking ``and tobacco'' each 
     place it appears and inserting ``, tobacco, and inhalants'';
       (4) in paragraph (9), by striking ``and illegal drug use'' 
     and inserting ``, illegal drug use, and inhalant abuse''; and
       (5) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(11)(A) The number of children using inhalants has 
     doubled during the 10-year period preceding 1999. Inhalants 
     are the third most abused class of substances by children age 
     12 through 14 in the United States, behind alcohol and 
     tobacco. One of 5 students in the United States has tried 
     inhalants by the time the student has reached the 8th grade.
       ``(B) Inhalant vapors react with fatty tissues in the 
     brain, literally dissolving the tissues. A single use of 
     inhalants can cause instant and permanent brain, heart, 
     kidney, liver, and other organ damage. The user of an 
     inhalant can suffer from Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, 
     which can cause a user to die the first, tenth, or hundredth 
     time the user uses an inhalant.
       ``(C) Because inhalants are legal, education on the dangers 
     of inhalant abuse is the most effective method of preventing 
     the abuse of inhalants.''.

     SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

       Section 4003 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
     Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7103) is amended, in the 
     matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting ``and abuse of 
     inhalants'' after ``and drugs''.

     SEC. 4. GOVERNOR'S PROGRAMS.

       Section 4114(c)(2) of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
     Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7114(c)(2)) is amended by 
     inserting ``(including inhalant abuse education)'' after 
     ``drug and violence prevention''.

     SEC. 5. DRUG AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

       Section 4116 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
     Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7116) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(1)(A), by inserting ``, and the abuse 
     of inhalants,'' after ``illegal drugs''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by inserting ``and the abuse of inhalants'' after ``use 
     of illegal drugs''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``and abuse inhalants'' after ``use 
     illegal drugs''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2)--
       (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting 
     ``(including age appropriate inhalant abuse prevention 
     programs for all students, from the preschool level through 
     grade 12)'' after ``drug prevention''; and
       (ii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``and inhalant 
     abuse'' after ``drug use''.

     SEC. 6. FEDERAL ACTIVITIES.

       Section 4121(a) of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
     Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7131(a)) is amended, in 
     the first sentence, by striking ``illegal use of drugs'' and 
     inserting ``illegal use of drugs, the abuse of inhalants,''.

     SEC. 7. MATERIALS.

       Section 4132(a) of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
     Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7142(a)) is amended by 
     striking ``illegal use of alcohol and other drugs'' and 
     inserting ``illegal use of alcohol and other drugs and the 
     abuse of inhalants''.

     SEC. 8. QUALITY RATING.

       Section 4134(b)(1) of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
     Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7144(b)(1)) is amended by 
     inserting ``, and the abuse of inhalants,'' after 
     ``tobacco''.
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