[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3538-S3539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NATIONAL INHALANTS AND POISONS AWARENESS WEEK

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support 
for increasing public awareness about the dangers of inhalant abuse. I 
am proud to be a cosponsor of S. Res. 47, recently passed by the 
Senate, which designates this week as ``National Inhalants and Poisons 
Awareness Week.''
  Our nation's drug control policy correctly places emphasis upon 
finding solutions for combating the illegal sale, manufacture and 
trafficking of well-known abused substances such as cocaine and 
methamphetamine. However, I believe Congress and the President should 
do more to focus attention on an emerging but equally dangerous 
threat--inhalant abuse.
  As my colleagues may know, inhalant abuse is the intentional 
breathing of gas or vapors for the purpose of reaching a high. Most 
people are familiar with common household products such as furniture 
polish, paint thinner, glue, felt tip markers, and deodorants. However, 
many families are not aware of how misuse of these inhalants by 
children can result in sickness or death.
  Far too often, these inhalants have caused heart, brain, and liver 
damage in thousands of children across the country. Sadly, many 
children have died as a result of inhalant abuse, a condition known as 
Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. In 1990, four young people in my home 
state of Minnesota died in separate incidents after experimenting with 
inhalants. Continued misuse of these products may also lead to 
additional illicit drug use.
  Additionally, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported in 1996 
that one in five American teenagers have used inhalants to get high. 
Over the

[[Page S3539]]

last few years, our nation has witnessed an increase in new inhalant 
abusers from 382,000 in 1991 to an estimated 805,000 in 1996. In my 
view, these troubling trends can be reversed by educating the public 
about the dangers of this abuse and encouraging communities to develop 
effective treatment and prevention programs.
  In my view, greater awareness of inhalant abuse can best be achieved 
through passage of S. 609, legislation introduced by Senator Frank 
Murkowski that would amend the Safe and Drug Free Schools and 
Communities Act of 1994 to include inhalant abuse among the Act's 
definition of ``substance abuse.'' Passage of this bill will give 
Minnesota and other states the opportunity to develop federally-funded 
inhalant abuse prevention and education programs. Importantly, these 
programs will be based on the active involvement of parents, teachers 
and local communities. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation 
which is an important element of our war on drugs.
  Mr. President, the federal government should not regulate the sale of 
these legal and inexpensive products which are found in almost every 
household. Instead, communities, parents and teachers should be 
encouraged to develop local solutions to this problem. A united effort 
toward this epidemic will help the United States make significant 
progress in our fight against drug abuse.

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