[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1037-1038]
[From the U.S. 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;
       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

[[Page 1038]]

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.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague, 
Senator Biden, in cosponsoring a resolution to designate the week of 
February 10-16, 2008, as National Drug Prevention and Education Month. 
Although recent survey data compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration shows illegal drug use among youth has 
declined by 24 percent since 2001, the number of teens abusing 
prescription and over-the-counter medicines has rapidly increased. Kids 
are turning to these dangerous drugs because they are easily accessible 
and widely used. Many of us do not realize that our left-over 
prescriptions and cold medicines are just as addictive and dangerous as 
meth or heroin when not properly used. This is why we must continue our 
efforts to inform the public about the dangers of these and other 
drugs. We must continue to do all we can to prevent our kids from 
falling into a vicious cycle of drug abuse and dependence.
  Research has shown that if you can keep a child drug free until they 
turn 20, chances are very slim that they will ever try or become 
addicted to drugs. This is why it is essential to maintain a coherent 
antidrug message that begins early in adolescence and continues 
throughout the growing years. Such an effort must engage professionals, 
parents, communities, and young people. While the Federal Government 
has a role to play in supporting these activities, local, community-
based initiatives are better able to target specific concerns and 
respond to them flexibly.
  Local community antidrug coalitions are our first line of defense 
against the scourge of drug abuse. Each community is different from the 
other, and each community antidrug coalition is tailored to meet the 
specific antidrug needs of its community. For example, I formed the 
Face It Together, FIT, Coalition in an effort to combat drug use in 
Iowa. My goal with FIT is to bring to the same table parents, 
educators, businesses, religious leaders, law enforcement officials, 
health care providers, youth groups, and members of the media to 
promote new ways of thinking about how to reach and educate Iowans 
about the dangers of drug abuse. With everyone working together, we 
will make a difference in our communities. Moreover, together we can 
build healthy children, healthy families, healthy communities, and a 
healthy future for society at large.
  Community antidrug coalitions would not be able to succeed in 
fighting drug abuse without the support of the Community Anti-Drug 
Coalitions of America, CADCA. CADCA works to strengthen the ability of 
new and existing community coalitions to build safe, healthy, and drug-
free communities and helps provide vital funding to local coalitions 
through the Drug Free Communities grant program.
  Since the inception of the Drug Free Communities grant program over 
1,300 community coalitions have received grants nationwide. There have 
been 43 coalitions in my State of Iowa that have received grants to 
provide crucial assistance to combat the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and 
illegal drugs. These coalitions have been successful in tracking the 
use of illegal drugs in their communities, starting afterschool and 
summer programs for kids, holding community events and townhall 
meetings, and uniting all sectors of the community to fight drug abuse.
  I believe that we have a moral obligation to ensure that our young 
people have a chance to grow up without being accosted by drug dealers 
at every turn, whether on TV, in the movies, or on the way to school. 
We need, as a country, to create a strong moral context to help our 
kids know how to make the right choices. They need to know how to say 
``no.'' They need to know that saying ``no'' is OK. They need to know 
that saying ``no'' to drugs is the right thing to do, not just the safe 
thing or the healthier thing but the right thing. I urge my colleagues 
to join us in passing this resolution to show our ongoing support for 
community antidrug coalitions that work to eliminate drug abuse 
throughout the Nation.

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