[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 8 (Monday, February 28, 2000)]
[Pages 343-344]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape 
Drug Prohibition Act of 2000

February 18, 2000

    Today I am pleased to sign into law H.R. 2130, the ``Hillory J. 
Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act of 2000.'' I 
applaud the sponsors of this important legislation.
    This legislation will, among other things, place gamma 
hydroxybutyric acid (GHB)--a drug that is abused for its psychoactive 
effects and, less frequently but more perniciously, used as a tool by 
sexual predators--in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). 
Making GHB a Schedule I controlled substance appropriately reflects the 
Congress' judgment that GHB has a high potential for abuse by sexual 
predators; that its possession and distribution should therefore be 
prohibited; and that violators should be subject to stringent criminal 
sanctions.
    The Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to 
develop and implement a plan for a national campaign to educate young 
adults, youths, law enforcement personnel, educators, school nurses, 
rape victim counselors, and hospital emergency room personnel on: (1) 
the dangers of date-rape drugs; (2) the applicability of the CSA to such 
drugs, including penalties; (3) how to recognize signs that an 
individual may be a victim of such drugs, and (4) the appropriate 
response when an individual exhibits such symptoms. The Act also 
requires HHS to collect data on the incidence of date-rape drug abuse 
and report the information annually to the Congress.
    The Act will not impede ongoing research into the potential 
legitimate use of this drug to treat the special needs of those 
suffering from narcolepsy. Indeed, this Act creates a special exemption 
that provides that the manufacture and distribution of this drug for 
properly approved research purposes will be subject to the physical 
security requirements of Schedule III rather than Schedule I.
    In approving H.R. 2130, I note that section 8(c)(1) of the bill 
requires the Attorney General to submit to the Committees on the 
Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report that 
sets forth the recommendations of a unit of the Drug Enforcement 
Administration, an entity within the Department of Justice. By mandating 
the disclosure of an internal Department recommendation, this provision 
infringes on my constitutional responsibility to preserve the 
confidentiality of executive branch deliberations. Accordingly, I shall 
construe the provision to be advisory, and I hereby direct all executive 
branch officials to do likewise.
    I would like to acknowledge the tireless efforts of those Members of 
Congress who brought about passage of this important legislation: 
Representatives Fred Upton, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Bart Stupak, Sherrod 
Brown, and Michael Bilirakis and also Senators Spencer Abraham and Orrin 
Hatch. Their efforts have strengthened the rights and safety of 
thousands of women, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for the 
leadership they have shown in bringing this issue to our Nation's 
attention.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
February 18, 2000.

Note: H.R. 2130, approved February 18, was assigned Public Law No. 106-
172. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.

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