[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 61 (Monday, May 7, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S4413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DOMESTIC DRUG UPDATE

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, last month I held a hearing on the 
Ecstasy problem affecting today's youth. At that hearing the White 
House released a Pulse Check report on drug trends over the past year. 
I would like to draw my colleagues' attention to the information in 
this report.
  Drug use in our nation is still increasing. The Pulse Check report 
found that for most drugs, the availability and usage has been getting 
worse. It is clear we must take further steps to combat this increase 
in availability.
  The report included information collected from cities all over the 
country, both urban and rural. It found that heroin use is increasing 
relative to cocaine. The availability of heroin has been increasing. In 
fact, drug experts reported that heroin is readily available on our 
streets, and about half of these experts stated that access to heroin 
is getting easier. Heroin purity is also increasing, especially as 
Colombian white heroin is showing up on our door. One major trend found 
across the nation is that more and more young people are taking up 
heroin. This is a scourge that must be stopped.
  There is another drug that's devastating our young people: Ecstasy 
and other so-called ``club drugs.'' The report highlighted the dramatic 
increases in use, particularly among teenagers. Eighteen of twenty 
cities in the report found Ecstasy to be an emerging concern. Ninety 
percent of drug treatment and law enforcement experts attest that the 
availability of Ecstasy has increased in the past year, in spite of all 
the attention it's been given. It's time we stop just talking about 
this problem that's destroying our youth, and start taking real action 
to educate our children and stop the easy availability of this drug at 
parties and clubs and increasingly in our schoolyards.
  Use of other drugs remain at high levels. Marijuana is still widely 
available, and law enforcement officials regard marijuana as a major 
threat to our cities. Cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, and other drugs 
are also increasing in availability and presenting a growing threat to 
our law enforcement personnel and to all Americans. The Pulse Check 
report found that the one trend that transcended all drugs was that the 
users were increasingly likely to be younger people. The age of onset 
of use is dropping. This heightened assault on our young people cannot 
be allowed to continue. We must stop the drug trafficking in our 
schools and near our children.
  There were a few positive signs in the report, however. Crack and 
marijuana use seem to be leveling off, and it appears our efforts are 
beginning to work in these areas. More effort should be placed in these 
areas so we do not lose any momentum in fighting these drugs.
  I received another report, from the Pew Research Center, that 
discusses the American people's feelings on the drug war. Pew reports 
that 74 percent of Americans feel that we are losing the drug war. 
Drugs also ranked as the number one concern for rural areas, such as my 
home state of Iowa. This is an issue that clearly affects everyone; 
there is no place left to hide from this scourge. Americans are worried 
about this problem, and with good cause.
  I wish I had more good news to report, but unfortunately the drug 
problem remains serious. Drug use is up sharply among our youth, and 
availability of most drugs is increasing as traffickers are increasing 
the flow of drugs into our country and into our schools. Bold steps 
must be taken to let our children know the risks of these drugs, while 
also stopping the pushers before they reach young people.

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