[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11028-S11030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             YOUTH DRUG USE

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, it is with great sadness and concern 
that I report that more and more kids are turning to drugs. Recently 
released annual studies that track drug use trends among youth and 
adults are indicating rapid increases in drug use among all age groups. 
The most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates drug 
use among people aged 12 and older increased by 9 percent since 2008. 
According to this survey, over 7 million people in the past year are 
estimated to have used drugs. Among these

[[Page S11029]]

numbers, it is estimated that over 4 million people have abused 
marijuana, which is well over half of all drug abusers in this survey.
  Even more disturbing are the rapid increases in drug use among 
America's youth. New figures from the Monitoring the Future Study, 
which is conducted by the University of Michigan and surveys school age 
kids' drug use from 8th grade to 12th grade, have shot up 
significantly. The rapid increases are due to higher use rates of 
marijuana among all age groups. Among the youngest surveyed, marijuana 
use jumped to 16 percent from 14.5 percent in the past year. Marijuana 
use has increased so much among high school seniors that more are now 
smoking marijuana than tobacco in the past 30 days. According to this 
survey, more than one in three high school seniors have smoked 
marijuana in the past year. Also troubling are the increases in the use 
of ecstasy, heroin, and the ongoing high abuse rates of prescription 
and over-the-counter medicines. On top of all this, the survey also 
determined that accompanying the increased drug use was a decreased 
perception that drugs are harmful.
  In my home State of Iowa, the Governor's Office of Drug Control 
Policy reports in their 2011 Drug Control Strategy that marijuana 
continues to be the most abused illegal drug in Iowa. According to this 
report, nearly two-thirds of all children in substance abuse treatment 
are there for marijuana use. It is reported that these are the highest 
rates of marijuana-using treatment clients in recent Iowa history. The 
2008 Iowa youth survey also shows that over one in four Iowa 11th 
graders have used marijuana in the past year.
  It is easy to read these numbers but not fully grasp the magnitude of 
what is happening in this country. Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the 
National Institute on Drug Abuse, states that the earlier teenagers 
start using marijuana the greater the risk they will have down the 
road. Dr. Volkow states, ``Not only does marijuana affect learning, 
judgment, and motor skills, but research tells us that about 1 in 6 
people who start using it as adolescents become addicted.'' The more we 
have young people turning to drugs the more they are putting their 
health and futures on the line. Not only do these numbers suggest more 
young people are putting themselves at risk, but they also show that 
the future of the country is at risk. These numbers are completely 
unacceptable and they illustrate that we are failing our kids.
  How did we get to this point? The National Survey on Drug Use and 
Health stated that while their findings are disappointing, they were 
not unexpected. The survey reported that data from the past two years 
have shown that young people's attitudes about drugs and their risks 
have been ``softening.'' This means that kids are more and more coming 
to the conclusion that drug use really isn't as bad as it is made out 
to be. The Monitoring the Future Survey also indicates that young 
people's perceptions on drug use, especially the harms associated with 
marijuana use, are rapidly moving in a negative direction. The survey 
states, ``Increases in youth drug use . . . are disappointing, and 
mixed messages about drug legalization--particularly of marijuana--may 
be contributing to the trend. Such messages only hinder the efforts of 
parents who are trying to prevent their kids from using drugs.'' Dr. 
Volkow also agrees that the debate over legalizing marijuana is 
contributing to the rising youth drug abuse rates. Dr. Volkow states, 
``We should examine the extent to which the debate over medical 
marijuana and marijuana legalization for adults is affecting teens' 
perceptions of risk.''
  The Obama administration also appears to agree with the above 
conclusions. The national drug czar, Gil Kerlikowski, who is Director 
of the Office of National Drug Control Policy states, ``The increases 
in youth drug use . . . are disappointing. And mixed messages about 
drug legalization, particularly marijuana legalization, may be to 
blame. Such messages certainly don't help parents who are trying to 
prevent young people from using drugs.'' I could not agree more with 
this statement. However, I can't help but feel that this administration 
is contributing to the problem and not the solution.
  In October 2009, the Department of Justice issued a memorandum to all 
U.S. attorneys regarding the prosecution of individuals who use or sell 
marijuana for medical purposes in states that allow it. This new policy 
states that U.S. attorneys should not expend resources to prosecute 
individuals who are complying with State laws regarding selling, 
possession, and use of marijuana for medical purposes. These State laws 
are in direct conflict with long existing Federal laws. The memorandum 
also states that this new policy will not alter the Department's 
authority to enforce Federal law.
  This confusing policy attempts to have it both ways. The DOJ is 
telling U.S. attorneys that they should not prosecute people in States 
that allow medical marijuana, but the policy does not prevent them from 
doing so. This policy is a departure from the longstanding DOJ position 
to prosecute individuals who violate Federal law notwithstanding State 
law. This policy is ill advised, misguided, and internally 
inconsistent. It also sends the wrong message that this administration 
is deciding which laws it would prefer to enforce rather than upholding 
and aggressively enforcing all existing laws.
  Unfortunately, the mixed messages don't stop there. Just a few weeks 
ago, the Judiciary Committee took up the nomination of Michelle 
Leonhart to be Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. 
Following her hearing, I asked a pretty straight forward question, did 
she support efforts to decriminalize or legalize the use, production, 
or distribution of marijuana, for medical purposes or otherwise. I was 
disappointed when I received her response that simply stated, ``I 
support the Administration in its clear and steadfast opposition to the 
legalization of marijuana.'' While I agree that the administration 
should be ``clear and steadfast'' in opposing the legalization of 
marijuana, her answers did not address the issue of decriminalization. 
In fact, it took a follow-up letter from me to Ms. Leonhart to clarify 
this response where she finally stated she was ``concerned with any 
actions that would lead to increased use of abuse and therefore, do[es] 
not support decriminalizing the cultivation, distribution, and use of 
marijuana for any purpose other than legitimate research.'' While I 
appreciate this more detailed response, it raises questions as to why 
this more comprehensive answer wasn't part of her initial response to 
my question. It is this sort of inconsistent response to simple 
questions on drug use that is sending mixed messages to minors across 
the county regarding the legalization and decriminalization of 
marijuana.
  We should not be getting mixed messages on marijuana use. The Obama 
administration should send a strong, unequivocal message to kids that 
marijuana use is harmful, rather than issuing inconsistent statements 
and new policies that endorse State efforts to legalize marijuana use 
in certain instances.
  I have long supported a unified, and consistent antidrug message 
combined with grassroots community efforts to combat drug abuse in all 
forms. Kids need to constantly hear the message that drug use is 
harmful and not safe. They need to hear it from all sectors of the 
community whether it comes from home, school, or anywhere else. That is 
why I continually support local community antidrug coalitions. These 
coalitions are on the front lines in communities and are probably our 
best weapon in the fight against drug abuse. The people who comprise 
these coalitions care deeply about their communities and they should be 
supported in their efforts.
  If the Obama administration truly believes that the rise in youth 
drug use is blamed in part on sending mixed messages about marijuana 
then they need to reconsider their own actions. We need to recognize 
the importance of sending strong and united messages about marijuana 
and drug use at large. We can start by being consistent with our own 
words and actions. Perhaps then we may be able to start to reverse the 
rising trends in youth drug use that have occurred since President 
Obama took office.

[[Page S11030]]



                          ____________________