[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 169 (Thursday, November 20, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2344-E2345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING APPRECIATION TO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH FOR ITS SUPPORT OF
STRONG ANTI-DRUG POLICIES
______
HON. MARK E. SOUDER
of indiana
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my deep thanks and
appreciation to Pope John Paul II and the Roman Catholic Church for
their unwavering support of a strong and balanced anti-drug strategy.
Last month, at a European Union conference held in Dublin, Ireland, the
Holy See submitted a statement outlining the Catholic Church's approach
to drug policy. As chairman of the Government Reform Committee's
Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, I
have long supported a vigorous but multipronged approach to reducing
the scourge of drug abuse, emphasizing tough law enforcement, effective
prevention, and treatment that works. I am submitting the Holy See's
statement for the Record, as I believe it provides an eloquent and
timely defense of those policies.
As the Vatican's statement makes clear, the problem of drug abuse is
deeply rooted in the spiritual crisis that has gripped much of modern
society. We live in a culture that often finds itself incapable of
educating our young people in the values that give them an alternative
to drugs. ``One of the most important factors leading to drug abuse,''
warns the statement, ``is the lack of clear motivation, the absence of
values, the conviction that life is not worth living.'' We must ensure
that our children are raised with the knowledge both of their own self-
worth and of their responsibility to work for a better world. That
knowledge is the best bulwark against drug abuse and other self-
destructive behavior, and prevention efforts in our schools and
communities must be grounded in such an approach.
But we must also make sure that we don't send the wrong message to
young people by suggesting that governments tolerate the use of drugs.
I strongly agree with the Catholic Church in its rejection of drug
legalization. Legalizing the use of even the so called ``lighter''
drugs will only lead to the greater use of stronger drugs. Nor can we
afford to condone drug abuse in a misguided attempt at ``harm
reduction.'' As the Vatican's statement notes, ``The State should not
assist its more vulnerable citizens to alienate themselves from society
and ruin their lives.''
Mr. Speaker, the problem of drug abuse is one of the most difficult
facing lawmakers and
[[Page E2345]]
parents today. It is deeply rooted, and will require a great and
continuing effort to keep it under control. But we must not give up--
there is simply too much at stake. I thank the Catholic Church for its
ongoing support of that effort.
Intervention of the Delegation of the Holy See at the Ministerial
Conference on ``New Challenges for Drug Policy in Europe''
(Dublin, October 16-17, 2003)
Mr. Chairman: The Holy See is pleased to participate in
this Ministerial Conference sponsored by the Pompidou Group,
for it sees this as a fitting and encouraging opportunity to
discuss and analyze the strategies in the fight against the
threat represented by drug abuse, as the Conference theme
aptly suggests.
The data provided by the European Observatory for Drugs and
Drug Addiction in the 2002 Annual Report on the Evolution of
the Drug Phenomenon in the European Union and Norway continue
to raise alarms and indicate that the situation, instead of
improving, is growing worse.
Great concern is caused both by the constant increase in
the use of synthetic drugs and by the ever decreasing age at
which drug abuse is observed.
Pope John Paul II, already in 1984, noted that ``among the
threats facing young people and all of society today, drug
abuse is one of the greatest, since it is a danger that is as
insidious as it is invisible, and one that is not yet
properly recognized according to the extent of its
seriousness''.
If politics is at the service of the human person and
society, it must not fail to go to the root of problems. This
means grappling with the anxiety, that is, the existential
crisis or apprehensions, that in a consumerist and
materialistic society finds rich soil for shattering the
inner equilibrium in subjects who are particularly weak,
fragile and sensitive. There is no doubt that the
phenomenon of drug abuse is connected with a crisis of
civilization and with great dejection. One of the most
important factors leading to drug abuse is the lack of
clear motivation, the absence of values, the conviction
that life is not worth living.
Among the political measures to be adopted in the fight
against this phenomenon, my Delegation would point out in the
first place those aimed at combating illicit trafficking in
drugs, controlled by powerful criminal organizations. This
takes place in the larger context of arms trade, terrorism
and trafficking in human beings. Such criminal activity goes
beyond national borders and therefore requires a concerted
policy of international cooperation.
Faced with the many suggestions and decisions made in
different national contexts for the purpose of resolving the
problem, the Holy See does not agree with the proposal to
legalize the circulation and distribution of drugs, not even
so-called light drugs. We must not fail to take into account
the risk of moving from the use of light drugs to the use of
those with more destructive effects. The State should not
assist its more vulnerable citizens to alienate themselves
from society and ruin their lives.
Rather, the Holy See encourages above all the promotion of
preventive information and education, and the possibility of
the proper treatment and reintegration into society of those
who unfortunately fall prey to drug addiction.
More resources should be destined to the application of
preventive and educational measures in the family, in
schools, in sports clubs and in society in general. There is
a need for placing renewed emphasis on the human values of
love and life, the only values capable of giving meaning to
human existence.
As far as treatment and reintegration into society are
concerned, my Delegation places great importance on the work
of assistance and recovery communities. This is a matter of
helping drug addicts, in the midst of their inner suffering
and their state of anxiety, to rediscover dignity, to take
control of their lives once more and to reintegrate
themselves into their families and into society.
An integrated system of services offered by local agencies,
institutions and educational groups (family, school,
community) should increase the ability to bring effective aid
to the lives of young people who, once they are freed from
drug addiction, will be able to avoid a relapse. Only the
desire to be reborn and the ability to heal will ensure that
``recovered'' young people can return to a normal life after
having passed through the frightening tunnel of drug
addiction.
An adequate policy in this regard must also address the
ethical questions involved, seeking to place the problem in a
wider anthropological, ethical, social, political and
economic context. Means and resources need to be set-aside
for this purpose.
Mr Chairman, allow me to conclude by reaffirming the
willingness of the Holy See and the Catholic Church--with
their extensive networks of institutions and structures
devoted to the education, assistance and rehabilitation of
drug addicts--to work with European institutions in seeking
together paths and means for a policy in the fight against
drug abuse and addiction that will not only resist the
criminal and subversive phenomenon but will also take into
consideration the moral issue of drug addiction and of a
society that promotes a culture of solidarity for life.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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