[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 188 (Thursday, December 8, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SYNTHETIC DRUG CONTROL ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2011

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following letter from one of my 
constituents with respect to the debate on H.R. 1254 that occurred on 
December 7, 2011.

       Dear Congressman Latham: Regarding the Synthetic Drug 
     Control Act, as you know I am a mother who lost her son to 
     these drugs and I can't stop myself from reacting to the 
     opposition on the floor yesterday.
       Hundreds of chemical compounds are used to make synthetic 
     drugs manufactured under the guise of bath salts, plant food, 
     k2 and various names of synthetic marijuana--with the sole 
     purpose being to ingest. These drugs are smoked, snorted, 
     injected, or put into drinks. The label may say they are not 
     for human consumption, but they are implicitly being sold as 
     such.
       Yet those opposing H.R. 1254 argue that not enough research 
     has been done to prove whether or not these already banned 
     and potentially future banned chemicals would bear any 
     medical benefit.
       To the contrary, not only have the synthetic drugs included 
     in this legislation failed to show medicinal promise, but the 
     Controlled Substances Act would still allow research on these 
     synthetic drugs to continue if H.R. 1254 were enacted.
       Under current law, researchers, universities and labs may 
     register with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to obtain 
     Schedule I controlled substances for scientific study. DEA 
     allows thousands of labs to handle Schedule I drugs for 
     scientific and investigative purposes. Chemicals with ``a 
     high potential for abuse'' and ``a lack of accepted safety'' 
     under the Controlled Substances Act should be placed under 
     Schedule I--available for scientific study but not sold on 
     convenience store shelves.
       The reality is that without H.R. 1254, our society will 
     continue to allow informal, unsupervised and unethical 
     medical experimentation--with our kids as the subjects. It 
     begins with unscrupulous manufacturers obtaining unknown 
     chemical compounds from other countries. It is either 
     manufactured overseas here or in our own backyard. These 
     drugs are openly sold to those ``18 years or older'' and can 
     be purchased at gas stations, convenience stores and head 
     shops around this country. Its availability is rampant on the 
     internet as well. It is difficult if not impossible to find 
     out who the people really are that sell the chemicals or 
     premade products. When it's all said and done, it is American 
     teens who are being endangered and experimented with.
       Let's be bold and put a stop to the newest drug trends that 
     are sweeping across our nation like a tidal wave--Jan Rozga, 
     Indianola, IA

                          ____________________