[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 29, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S449-S450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 434--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 10-16, 2008, AS
``NATIONAL DRUG PREVENTION AND EDUCATION WEEK''
Mr. BIDEN (for himself, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Menendez, Mr.
Grassley, Mr. Specter, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Roberts, Mr.
Salazar, Mr. Casey, and Mr. Lautenberg) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 434
Whereas recent survey data suggests that illegal drug use
among youth has declined by 24 percent since 2001;
Whereas, despite the reduction in drug use among youth, the
number of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who use drugs remains
too high and the rates of prescription and over-the-counter
drug abuse are alarming;
Whereas the overall rate of current illegal drug use among
persons aged 12 or older is 8.3 percent, which has remained
stable since 2002;
Whereas ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA)
use among high school age youth has been rising since 2004;
Whereas, while methamphetamine use is down among 8th, 10th,
and 12th graders, many counties across the country still
report that methamphetamine is a serious drug problem;
Whereas 25 percent of youth in the 10th grade reported the
use of marijuana during the past year;
Whereas youth who first smoke marijuana under the age of 14
are more than 5 times as likely to abuse drugs in adulthood;
Whereas nearly 6 percent of 12th graders have used over-
the-counter cough and cold medications in the past year for
the purpose of getting high;
Whereas Vicodin remains one of the most commonly abused
drugs among 12th graders, with 1 in 10 reporting nonmedical
use within the past year;
Whereas teenagers' and parents' lack of understanding of
the potential harms of these powerful medicines makes it even
more critical to raise public awareness about the dangers
associated with their non-medical use;
Whereas the rates of use for any illegal drug are directly
related to the perception of harm and social disapproval;
Whereas more than 20 years of research has demonstrated
that prevention interventions, designed and tested to reduce
risk and enhance protective factors, can help children at
every step along their developmental path, from early
childhood into young adulthood;
Whereas prevention efforts should be flexible enough to
address and prevent local problems before they become
national trends;
Whereas research has demonstrated that there are 4 major
targets of prevention: youth, parents, schools (including
colleges and universities), and communities and social
environments that must be reinforced by each other to have
the greatest effect in deterring the consequences of drug
use;
Whereas a comprehensive blend of individually and
environmentally focused efforts must be adopted and a variety
of strategies must be implemented across multiple sectors of
a community to reduce drug use;
Whereas community anti-drug coalitions are an essential
component of any drug prevention and education campaign
because they are data driven, know their community
epidemiology, and are capable of understanding and
implementing the multi-sector interventions required to
reduce the availability and use of drugs;
Whereas community anti-drug coalitions help to change
community norms, laws, policies, regulations, and procedures
to create an environment that discourages the use of drugs;
Whereas school-based prevention programs should be part of
a comprehensive community wide approach to deal with drug
use;
Whereas the more successful we are at general prevention of
drug use in younger adolescents, the less we will have to
deal with the concomitant economic and societal consequences
of their use;
Whereas the total economic cost of drug, alcohol, and
tobacco abuse in the United States is more than
$500,000,000,000;
Whereas the savings per dollar spent on substance abuse
prevention rather than on substance abuse treatment are
substantial, and can range from $2.00 to $20.00;
Whereas there will always be new and emerging drug trends
that require additional prevention and education efforts;
[[Page S450]]
Whereas preventing drug use before it begins and educating
the public about the dangers of drug use is a critical
component of what must be a consistent and comprehensive
effort to stunt and decrease drug use rates throughout the
country; and
Whereas thousands of community anti-drug coalition leaders
and community based substance abuse prevention, treatment,
and education specialists come to Washington, D.C. to receive
state-of-the-art technical assistance, training, and
education on drug prevention at the Community Anti-Drug
Coalition of America's Annual National Leadership Forum in
February: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates the week of February 10-16, 2008, as
``National Drug Prevention and Education Week''; and
(2) urges communities, schools, parents, and youth to
engage in, and carry out, appropriate prevention and
education activities and programs to reduce and stop drug use
before it starts.
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President. Today I rise to introduce an important
resolution designating the week of February 10-16, 2008 as National
Drug Prevention and Education Week. While we have made progress in
curbing the rate of illegal drug use among teens in this country, there
remains a great deal of work to be done. Key components of staying on
top of emerging drug threats and lowering the overall rate of drug use
in this country are prevention and education. These efforts start at
the local level and this resolution encourages communities, schools,
parents, and youth to engage in and carry out community-based
prevention and education activities and programs to reduce and stop
drug use before it starts.
We have come a long way in combating drug use in this country, in
large part because of the good work of so many talented professionals
in the prevention and treatment fields. However, the rates of illegal
drug use among teens and adults remains too high. The overall rate of
current illegal drug use among persons aged 12 or older is 8.3 percent,
which has remained stable since 2002. Moreover, the well-known
Monitoring the Future survey found ``a clear pattern of gradually
rising use [of ecstasy] in the upper grades'' over the past couple of
years. Thus, as the data shows, clearly we have got a lot of work left
to do.
The threat of illegal drugs is not our only concern. Newly released
data shows that abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medicines is
a huge problem that has not declined in recent years. One in ten 12th
graders has reported non-medical use of the powerful painkiller Vicodin
within the past year and abuse rates of other powerful narcotics are
similarly troubling.
Abuse of over-the-counter drugs has also become concerning, with
nearly 6 percent of 12th graders having used over-the-counter cough and
cold medications in the past year for the purpose of getting high.
These problems don't simply pose serious health risks, but they are
also closely linked to low educational achievement and increased risk
of illegal activity and crime.
One critical component of stemming drug use is prevention. Over 20
years of research has demonstrated that prevention intervention,
designed and tested to reduce risk and enhance protective factors, can
help children at every step along their developmental path, from early
childhood into young adulthood. The more successful we are at general
prevention of drug use in younger adolescents, the less we will have to
deal with the concomitant economic and societal consequences of their
use-including the more than $500 billion in societal costs associated
with drug and alcohol use. Community anti-drug coalitions provide the
flexibility needed to effectively address the local needs of their
communities.
Coalitions of local leaders, including parents, teachers, religious
leaders, local law enforcement officials, youth, and business leaders
have the power to reduce the demand for drugs, and we must support
their efforts and applaud them for their outstanding work on these
issues.
During the week of February 10-16, thousands of community anti-drug
coalition leaders and community based substance abuse prevention,
treatment, and education specialists will come to Washington, DC to
receive state-of-the-art technical assistance, training, and education
on drug prevention at the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America's
Annual National Leadership Forum. I applaud these community leaders--
and prevention and treatment professionals around the Nation--for their
tireless efforts to curb drug use in our country and, in recognition of
these efforts I have introduced this resolution to designate the week
of February 10-16, 2008 as National Drug Prevention and Education Week.
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