[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 70 (Tuesday, June 6, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H3403-H3404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF THE VIGIL FOR LOST PROMISE DAY

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 422) supporting the goals and 
ideals of the Vigil for Lost Promise day.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 422

       Whereas over 26,000 citizens die from the effects of drug 
     abuse each year;
       Whereas the damage from drugs is not limited to drug 
     abusers; the collateral damage from drugs is enormous, and 
     drug abuse costs society over $60 billion in social costs and 
     lost productivity;
       Whereas drugs rob users, their families, and all Americans 
     of dreams, promise, ambitions, talent, and lives;
       Whereas drug abuse affects millions of families in the 
     United States;
       Whereas the stigma of drug abuse and the cloak of denial 
     keep many individuals and families from dealing with the 
     impact of drugs;
       Whereas many friends and families are ashamed to 
     acknowledge the death of their loved ones caused by drug 
     abuse;
       Whereas all Americans can benefit from illuminating the 
     problem of drug abuse and its impact on families, 
     communities, and society;
       Whereas the futures of thousands of the Nation's youth have 
     been cut short because of drug abuse; and
       Whereas law enforcement, public health and research 
     organizations, community coalitions, drug prevention outreach 
     organizations, individual parents, siblings, friends, and 
     concerned citizens are joining together on June 8, 2006, in a 
     Vigil for Lost Promise, to call public attention to the 
     tremendous promise which has been lost with the deaths of 
     those affected by drugs: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress supports the goals and ideals of 
     the Vigil for Lost Promise day.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Issa) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 422, offered by the 
distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), the committee 
chairman. This resolution would support the goals and ideals of the 
Vigil for Lost Promise Day.
  Mr. Speaker, drug use and abuse is a national crisis that affects the 
health of many of our citizens and affects all our communities. Drugs 
affect people from all walks of life, and addiction does not 
discriminate. Millions of families and friends have experienced the 
loss of a loved one to drug use. Addiction has many dimensions and 
disrupts multiple aspects in an individual's life. Drugs rob users, 
their families and their friends of dreams, promises and their 
ambition, their talents and their vitality.
  This resolution honors those family members and friends who feel the 
pain and tragedy each day from the loss of life to drugs. The Vigil for 
Lost Promise is a national event which brings together parents and 
friends who have lost someone to drugs and for those who are dedicated 
to the promise and potential of our Nation's youths.
  The stigma attached to drug use causes many friends and families to 
feel ashamed to acknowledge the death of their loved ones. However, 
this event offers an opportunity for families to remember those and is 
dedicated to the education of others on the importance of keeping our 
youth drug free.
  I ask that all Members join with me in supporting H. Con. Res. 422 in 
the hope that we can offer support to the families and friends of those 
who have lost loved ones to the perils of addiction.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, many people view drug abuse and addiction strictly as a 
social problem. Parents, teens, older adults and other members of the 
community tend to characterize people who take drugs as morally weak or 
as having criminal tendencies. They believe that drug abusers and 
addicts should be able to stop taking drugs if they simply are willing 
to change their behavior. These myths have stereotyped those with drug-
related problems, their families, their communities and the health care 
professionals who work with them. Drug abuse and addiction comprise a 
public health problem that affects many people and has wide-ranging 
social consequences.
  A Vigil for Lost Promise Day will help replace the myths and long-
held mistaken beliefs about drug abuse and addiction with scientific 
evidence that addiction is a chronic, relapsing, and treatable disease. 
Addiction does begin when an individual makes a conscious choice to 
abuse drugs, but addiction is not just using a lot of drugs.
  Recent scientific research provides overwhelming evidence that drugs 
do more than interfere with normal brain functioning by creating 
powerful feelings of pleasure. They also have long-term effects on 
brain metabolism and activity. Changes occur in the brain that can turn 
drug abuse into drug addiction, a chronic and relapsing illness. Those 
who are addicted to drugs suffer from compulsive drug cravings and 
usage that they cannot quit alone. Treatment is necessary to end the 
compulsive behavior.
  Drugs crush the hopes, dreams and potential of drug users, and they 
shatter the lives of the users' families and friends. I support Vigil 
for Lost Promise Day because it will draw attention to the impact drugs 
have, not only on users, but to their loved ones and the community at 
large.
  I look forward, Mr. Speaker, to the day when our country will treat 
this illness the way it should be treated and that we will have 
available to individuals treatment on demand, that is, individuals when 
they know that they are ready and are willing to seek treatment ought 
to have resources and places to go.
  So I commend the sponsors of this legislation and urge its support.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, As an original cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 
422, I rise in support of this important resolution expressing the 
support of Congress for the goals and ideals of the Vigil for Lost 
Promise Day.
  More than 26,000 lives may be lost to the effects of drug abuse this 
year. This tragic impact is felt in communities across this great 
nation. Sadly many of these deaths occur among our young people.
  One thing we know about drugs is that they do not discriminate and 
they do not engage in favoritism--not on the basis of race, color, 
gender, class, geographic location, or age. Drugs have the same impact 
on everyone who succumbs to their influence.
  Moreover, the pain felt by the tragic loss of a loved one to drug 
overdose or to the deadly effects of chronic drug abuse is universal. 
The sense of loss, bewilderment, and often shame are known to parents, 
children, spouses, loved ones and friends of the victims of drug abuse 
and addiction from all walks of life. These emotions can be especially 
acute when the victim is a young person who will never have the 
opportunity to express his or her potential, to live out the promise of 
a full and productive life.
  Envisioned by eight families who have personally suffered the loss of 
a loved one because of drugs, the Vigil for Lost Promise will serve as 
a remembrance for those who are

[[Page H3404]]

gone, and to illuminate the pervasive and dangerous effects of drug 
use. The ultimate objective of these eight families is to help ensure 
that other families will not have to endure the same kind of loss.
  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the National Institute on 
Drug Abuse and the Partnership for a Drug Free America have joined the 
families in support of this effort to raise awareness about the 
terrible toll that drugs take not just on families and friends but on 
society as a whole.
  I join my colleagues in saluting these organizations, each of which 
plays a vital role in our national control strategy, as well as the 
courageous families and other participants who will attend this 
important event, which will occur this Thursday, June 8th, at DEA's 
headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
  Mr. Speaker, as we have observed over the past few years, the meth 
epidemic has awakened much of America to the rampant devastation that 
drugs can cause to entire communities. This kind of devastation has 
long been known to urban centers like my own city of Baltimore--cities 
that have suffered through successive epidemics of heroin, cocaine and 
crack.
  As a result of the meth epidemic, I believe there is a heightened 
awareness around the country and in this House that drugs don't just 
impair and kill individual drug users; they tear apart families and 
neighborhoods. I am hopeful that Thursday's Vigil will bring about even 
broader recognition of the fact that this problem affects all Americans 
and that it requires a strong national commitment to drug prevention, 
drug treatment, combined with concerted efforts to keep drugs off of 
our streets and out of the hands of our nation's young people.
  Sadly, over the past six years, we have seen this Administration 
shift funding away from prevention, treatment, and state and local law 
enforcement in favor of supply reduction efforts beyond our borders. 
This strategy has resulted in no discernible impact on the availability 
of drugs on the street, and the number of lives lost to drugs like 
cocaine, crack, heroin and meth continues to climb.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress faces difficult choices and the national 
preoccupation with preventing potential terror attacks is justified by 
the lingering shock and damage of the 9-11 attacks. Still, we cannot 
afford to ignore a drug problem that claims more than two thousand 
American lives each month. If we lack the political will or resources 
to make a truly substantial investment in prevention and, most 
important of all, to make drug treatment accessible to all who seek it, 
at least let us take other steps to ensure that drug abuse claims as 
few American lives as possible.
  There are steps the government can take to avoid preventable deaths 
from drug overdose and abuse, as well as from the spread of deadly 
communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, among 
intravenous drug users.
  If we are serious about the goal of saving lives, then let us work 
together to:
  Provide funding to states to establish overdose prevention programs;
  Ensure that first responders and law enforcement (including 
correctional workers) are trained to respond to drug overdoses and save 
lives;
  Increase the availability of naloxone (``nal-OX-own'')--a short-
acting drug that can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose--to first 
responders, law enforcement, needle exchange programs, drug treatment 
centers, and other public health facilities;
  And, finally, allow federal funds to be used to support needle and 
syringe exchange programs, which have been proven in scientific study 
after scientific study to reduce HIV transmission without increasing 
drug use.
  All of these are steps that, if implemented, would save lives, 
preserve human potential, and reduce the suffering of families and 
communities across America.
  By decrying the terrible impact of drugs and yet failing to take 
prudent action to avoid preventable drug-related deaths, Congress and 
the Administration risk sending a mixed message to parents who have 
lost a child to drugs or who stand to lose a child to drug abuse if we 
don't do our part.
  So, as we commemorate the lives of those whose promise has been 
extinguished by drugs, let us be equally mindful of those who are still 
with us--but whose lives are in danger and hang perilously in the 
balance. Let us commit to helping them to avoid the terrible fate of 
having their promise needlessly lost and being mourned by those who 
love and care for them.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to close by thanking Mr. Davis and Mr. Souder for 
bringing this resolution before us and by again saluting everyone who 
has worked to make the Vigil for Lost Promise come to fruition. I urge 
all of my colleagues to support the resolution and, more importantly, 
to support policies and initiatives that will minimize the number of 
lives lost to drug abuse from this day forward.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of 
H. Con. Res. 422, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 422.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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