[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 132 (Wednesday, October 9, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT'S 2002 NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 7, 2002

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in advocation of H. Res. 569, 
legislation expressing support for the President's 2002 National Drug 
Control Strategy to reduce illegal drug use in the United States.
  Nearly 20,000 Americans, many of them children, die from drug related 
incidences every year. This ongoing drug menace is the gravest threat 
to our youth whether they are killed by drug overdoses or are caught in 
the crossfire of rival drug gangs.
  When some claim that Iraq poses the most imminent threat to our 
national security, I see a more imminent threat in the well-established 
link between the profits from illegal drug dealing and the financing of 
many of the world's leading terrorist organizations. These 
organizations include the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and the Fuerzas Armadas 
Revolucionarias de Colombia.
  It is because of these threats that I am proud of the efforts of law 
enforcement in the eradication of illegal drug use. In supporting this 
bill we honor the efforts of those who fight on the front lines of the 
Nation's struggle against illegal drug use. The drug menace is truly a 
threat to our homeland security.

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