    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [March 28, 1991]
    [Pages 315-317]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Bob Martinez as Director of the
    Office of National Drug Control Policy
    March 28, 1991

        The President. Please be seated. Well, first, Monsignor, thank you,
    sir, for that lovely invocation. And to Jim Smith, a longtime friend and
    secretary of state of Florida, welcome back to Washington. I'm delighted
    to see so many members of our Cabinet here with us today. And I think
    that says that all Cabinet Departments want to help Bob Martinez in this
    fight against drugs. And I'm delighted that they're here, and we pledge
    you our full support.
        I'm delighted to see Bill Young, who has the onerous responsibility
    of representing that enormous Florida delegation. But it's most
    appropriate that he, a big supporter of the Governor's and of mine, be
    with us today in that capacity.
        I want to welcome the executive directors of the several major State
    and local organizations: Don Borut of the National League of Cities,
    John Thomas of the National Association of Counties, and Ray Scheppach
    of the National Governors' Association.
        And most of all, of course, a great pleasure to welcome to
    Washington Mary Jane--Mary Jane Martinez--Alan, his son, and also so
    many friends that are up here from Florida and elsewhere. I don't know
    who's looking after the State, but I'm delighted you all are here--
    [laughter]--on this beautiful day in the Rose Garden.
        Bob brings to this important job, Director of National Drug Control
    Policy, a resolute personal commitment and unmatched experience in the
    field. Our 50 States are the labs, the laboratories of democracy, and
    Bob brings an impressive arsenal of some of the Nation's most innovative
    and wide-ranging antidrug programs. As Governor of Florida, he led a
    State that was among the hardest hit by drug smuggling, drug crime, and
    drug use. And he responded to that challenge the same way he'll respond
    to this new, even bigger challenge: with vigor and intelligence and a
    program comprehensive enough to attack the drug culture.
        Bob Martinez already has contributed mightily to the National Drug
    Control Strategy. As the National Governors' Associa-

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    tion's lead Governor on the drug issue, he personally developed a number
    of proposals regarding law enforcement, drug treatment, prevention, and
    international cooperation. These initiatives have greatly strengthened
    our long-range prospects for stopping the scourge of drugs.
        In the fight against drugs, every level of government must work
    together. And no one is better equipped than Bob Martinez to get local,
    State, Federal authorities working together. He served long and well
    with the Nation's Governors. But he also has a long record of working
    with the city leaders. Twice elected mayor of Tampa, he served on the
    board of the National League of Cities, and he participated actively in
    the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
        Bob also had the kind of international experience that's required
    for this new job. He's traveled to South America to meet with our Andean
    friends, the leaders of the Andean countries, in support of inter-
    American responses to the drug crisis. Our initiatives in the Andes and
    around the globe are of paramount importance, and Bob's experience will
    be a tremendous advantage right there as well.
        As a teacher and as a businessman and as a parent, Bob Martinez
    understands that we cannot defeat drugs through law enforcement alone.
    Any long-term solution also depends on successful education and
    treatment. And that means drug-free schools, a drug-free work place, and
    drug-free kids.
        During my service as Vice President, I was head of the National
    Narcotics Border Interdiction System, and there I worked very closely
    with Bob Martinez--personally and directly. And we're going to continue
    to work together personally and directly in this new assignment of his.
    As you can tell by this audience out here today, our administration is
    committed to Governor Martinez' success.
        I'm going to ask all members of the Cabinet and their Departments to
    continue to give his Office every measure of help and coordination. Bob
    will be asking for your advice. He'll be asking for your help. And he'll
    have my support every single step of the way.
        I think this is a proud day for America. Bob Martinez is the
    grandson of Spanish immigrants, the son of a waiter, a man who worked
    his way through school. My predecessor called him the embodiment of the
    American dream.
        And so, sir, as you assume command of our national drug fight at
    this critical time, we've made important new progress, good solid
    progress. Cocaine use has fallen. Hospitals report fewer drug-related
    emergencies. Fewer high school students abuse drugs. And the evidence
    shows clearly that we've turned in the right direction. But we still
    have a long way to go, and the drug menace remains intolerably large.
    And it cripples families, destroys kids, wipes out entire communities.
        Our administration has announced ambitious new goals for the drug
    war, backed by ambitious new proposals and an ambitious new budget. And
    we've renewed our call for Congress to pass a true crime bill. And I'm
    asking Bob Martinez to fight for those goals and programs with all his
    heart, knowing that he already has committed his heart and soul to this
    crucial battle. I'm asking Bob Martinez to lead America further away
    from drugs, knowing that he is determined to do so. This is a top
    priority. And Governor Bob Martinez is the right man, the best man for
    this job. I'm proud to welcome him to the White House.
        And let's face it, many challenges lie ahead. And the American
    people stand ready to face them. We will remain on the front lines,
    block by block, day by day, school by school, in homes, in hospitals, in
    treatment centers, and in courtrooms. For your kids, for mine, for
    America's kids, we will overcome the scourge of drugs.
        And now, Governor Martinez, over to you.

    [At this point, Director Martinez was sworn in.]

        The Director. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.
        First, Mr. President, let me thank you for having nominated me for
    this position, and thank you and your staff for the tremendous work that
    was done through the whole nomination process. I also want to thank
    secretary of state Jim Smith for taking the time to be here today to
    kind of keep the

    [[Page 317]]

    program going for us. And of course, to Monsignor Higgins, who has been
    at each of my swearing-ins for the last 12 years, and I appreciate him
    making this trip to be here. And of course, to Justice Scalia for taking
    time from his busy schedule, for being here today to give me the oath of
    office. And to all of you who took time to travel long distance.
        And to all my, now, colleagues in the President's Cabinet and all of
    your agencies that I'll be working with, I look forward to the
    opportunity to get to know you real well. And many, I've had that
    opportunity as Governor to work with you--some more than others. But the
    one thing I have found in my short time here is the tremendous interest
    that all of you have on the subject--and those of you that have various
    agencies that are involved in the war against drugs, the enthusiasm and
    professionalism that they show.
        Like the President indicated, we have made tremendous gains over the
    last several years. But there still is a rather large population that we
    still have to deal with. And we mustn't forget that there's a constant
    renewal of our population, that the young people must forever be
    educated--that we can't simply say we've got a good education initiative
    for the current set of youngsters, but we will continue to have a
    current set of youngsters every year that we must continue to address.
    And therefore, if we fail to do that, we will have large treatment needs
    because we failed at the front end to provide that opportunity of
    letting them know what drug abuse is all about.
        And of course, there is a supply side, offshore and domestic, and
    the tremendous work that must be done there. And it has been done and
    will continue to be done and are often--sometimes I kind of regret that
    we divided this in the supply and demand because I kind of see it as one
    ball game--that a good effective supply system makes demand efforts a
    lot easier.
        If a youngster gets the message in school and can walk across the
    street and there isn't a pusher because supply has taken care of that,
    then that message is going to stick. And, therefore, I hope that as we
    go in time that this can be taken to the Nation, that this is an
    integrated initiative. It's not a compartmentalized type of activity--of
    education, prevention, treatment, offshore, domestic--and each operates
    separately.
        So, I hope that, in time, that we'll be able to show that this truly
    is a national strategy involving all national groups, local, and State.
    And I'm delighted to hear that mayor groups and city groups and country
    groups and the Governors' Association is here because it is to be
    implemented in a manner that truly brings in all levels of government.
    And having been mayor and Governor, I kind of have heard from time to
    time what some of the difficulties are. And I hope to be able to work on
    those issues.
        So, Mr. President, thank you. And on behalf of the people of this
    nation, I also want to thank you for the budget recommendation that
    you've made that clearly shows that when you speak out against drugs,
    it's more than words. What follows are the resources to get the work
    done. And I hope that I'll be able to work with you each year to be sure
    that your dollars that you've recommended bring the results that all
    Americans want.
        Thank you very much, and I really appreciate it.

                        Note: The President spoke at 9:48 a.m. in the Rose
                            Garden at the White House. In his remarks, the
                            President referred to Msgr. Lawrence Higgins of
                            St. Lawrence Church in Tampa, FL; Jim Smith,
                            Florida secretary of state; Representative C.W.
                            Bill Young; executive directors Donald J. Borut
                            of the National League of Cities, John Thomas of
                            the National Association of Counties, and
                            Raymond Scheppach of the National Governors'
                            Association; and Director Martinez' wife, Mary
                            Jane, and son, Alan. Director Martinez referred
                            to Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the
                            Supreme Court of the United States.