[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 171 (Thursday, September 30, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              DRUG TREATMENT PIONEER MIKE WATANABE RETIRES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAREN BASS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 30, 2021

  Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, as he retires I rise to commemorate the 
career of a pioneer and advocate in drug treatment, Michael N. 
Watanabe. Mike and I became friends during the time that the crack 
cocaine epidemic devastated neighborhoods across Los Angeles, but his 
dedication to serving those struggling with addiction goes back much 
further.
  Even as a high schooler in the 1960s, Mike had seen friends and 
neighbors of all races suffer and even die from drug overdoses. He was 
drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969, where he served as a Huey 
helicopter Crew Chief in Vietnam. His experiences there gave him 
further insight into the role that substances like drugs and alcohol 
play in people's lives. He emerged from his transition back to civilian 
life with a determination to help people. That led him to pursue a 
degree in social work at UCLA, earning a scholarship through the 
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
  In 1975 he joined the staff of the Asian American Drug Abuse Program 
(AADAP). With offices in the heart of the Crenshaw district of Los 
Angeles, AADAP had been founded to assist Asians, Pacific Islanders and 
other underserved communities. Mike quickly saw opportunities to extend 
services, and to treat the whole person. He has dedicated 46 years of 
his life to AADAP, 39 of those years as the head of the organization.
  During his tenure, AADAP grew from a small grassroots organization 
with 20 staff to a large, comprehensive service agency with over 120 
professional staff serving a significant portion of Los Angeles County 
through ten service sites. AADAP boasts an impressive track record, 
serving all races and cultures, and offering residential and outpatient 
treatment, family support, job training, and a wide spectrum of 
programs providing prevention, intervention, and diversion services for 
substance use disorders.
  In his nearly half-century of service, Mike has also leant his 
expertise to numerous national, state and local organizations and 
commissions. He has given workshops, seminars, testimony, and 
consultations to anyone who could benefit from his experience and 
vision for change. He has received innumerable awards and recognitions 
for his work as an educator, clinician and leader, including an 
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD) degree from his undergraduate 
alma mater, California State University Northridge.
  Countless lives have changed for the better due to Mike's work. Now, 
as he hands over the reins of this vital organization, I wish him and 
his family the very best, and I look forward to the next chapter of his 
life.

                          ____________________