SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY

LENGTH: 2800 words

COMMITTEE: SENATE COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION

HEADLINE: TESTIMONY INCREASING AIRLINE PILOT RETIREMENT AGE

TESTIMONY-BY: ORRIN G. HATCH , SENATOR

BODY:
March 14, 2001 Statement of Chairman Orrin G. Hatch Senate Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on Treatment, Education, and Prevention: Adding to the Arsenal in the War on Drugs I am pleased to welcome you all to today's hearing on the vital role of drug prevention and treatment in our nation's comprehensive drug control policy. I believe all of our witnesses today will agree with me that we need a comprehensive strategy embracing both demand and supply reduction in our struggle against drug abuse. I firmly believe that if we are to win the war on drugs in America, we need a stronger national commitment to the demand reduction component of our strategy. This is a bipartisan view, which I am proud to say is shared by MY colleague and Ranking Democratic member, Senator Leahy. I am also encouraged that President Bush has indicated on several occasions, and in the plan he unveiled last Fall, that he also believes in such a comprehensive drug control strategy. Let there be no misunderstanding. We must, and will continue our vigilant defense of our borders and our streets against those who make their living by manufacturing or selling these harmful drugs. But the time has come to increase the resources we devote to prevent people from using drugs in the first place and to break the cycle of addiction for those whose lives are devastated and consumed by these substances. Only through such a balanced approach can we fully remove the scourge of drugs from our society. Last month, Senators Leahy, DeWine, Biden, and Thurmond and 1, introduced the Drug Education, Prevention and Treatment Act of 2001, which embodies this balanced approach. While the bill furthers our law enforcement efforts by increasing penalties for those who involve minors in drug crimes, among other unlawful acts, the bulk of the legislation advances our prevention and treatment efforts. Now, some may be asking why should we pass another drug bill? The answer is quite simple: too many Americans - including far too many young people - continue to use these harmful substances. According to national surveys, since 1990, the number of first time users of marijuana has increased by 63 percent, of cocaine by 37 percent, of hallucinogens, including ecstasy, by 91 percent, and of stimulants by 165 percent. Last year, annual use of ecstasy among 10th and 12th graders rose sharply, an increase of 33 percent and 55 percent respectively. Additionally, a large portion of the new heroin initiates are youth who are smoking, sniffing, or snorting heroin. In fact, a full quarter of the estimated 471,000 persons who used heroin for the first time between 1996-1998 were under age 18. This should alarm us all about the future of our youth. The alarming statistics continue. By the 8th grade - that is around the age of 13, - over 50 percent of our youth have consumed alcohol, over 40 percent have smoked cigarettes, and over 20 percent have smoked marijuana. And by the time of graduation, around the age of 18, over 80 percent have consumed alcohol, over 60 percent have smoked cigarettes, and over 50 percent of our youth have used an illicit drug. In the face of these dismal statistics, some cynics may ask what difference will another drug bill make? To them I say that this bill will make a lot of difference. I am proud to say that since its introduction, numerous organizations, political officials, and concerned Americans have contacted the Committee to praise the bill. At a press conference held prior to introducing the bill, prevention and treatment experts, standing side-by-side with law enforcement officials, regardless of party affiliation, spoke in unison about how the various prevention and treatment components of this bill will help lower drug abuse in America. This legislation bespeaks our commitment to do more to prevent and treat substance abuse. Such efforts, it is safe to say, will prove worthwhile. According to a report recently released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in 1998, States spent $81.3 billion - about 13 percent of total state spending - on substance abuse and addiction. Only $3 billion of this, however, was spent on prevention and treatment. The remaining $78 billion was spent, in the words of the study's authors, "to shovel up the wreckage of substance abuse and addiction." The report urges us, as policymakers, to reexamine our priorities and shift our attention to drug prevention and treatment. This bill does just that, and, I hasten to add, it does so without undermining in any way our commitment to supply reduction. Indeed, this bill, it can be said, ultimately will help to cut supply by reducing the demand for drugs among those who are the most consistent and addicted users - those who may want to break the vicious cycle of addiction, but are physically unable without the treatment programs authorized by this bill. Let me emphasize, however, that while this legislation will prove enormously helpful, it cannot substitute for our most effective tool for preventing drug abuse: good parenting. Demand reduction starts with educating all of America's children about the harmful, destructive nature of drugs, and that education must start at home. According to the 1999 PRIDE survey, students whose parents never or seldom talk to them about drugs are 36.5% more likely to use drugs; in contrast, students whose parents talk to them often, or a lot, about drugs are 33.5% less likely to use drugs. Parents, grandparents, priests, pastors, rabbis, teachers, sports heroes, celebrities, and everyone else involved in a child's life need to take an active role in educating our children about the dangers of drugs. Drug abuse knows no boundaries. It doesn't discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, or class. It is truly an equal opportunity destroyer. Parents need to stop deluding themselves into believing that moving to the suburbs, away from the temptations and evils of the inner cities, will prevent drug dealers from reaching their children. They need to stop thinking that it is always the other family's kid who is using drugs. Unless children are given the knowledge and truth of how drugs will ruin their health and future, they are vulnerable to the lies of those who are peddling drugs. Sadly, studies reveal that many children will never have conversations with their parents about drug use. Some children have parents who are addicted to drugs, some have parents who are imprisoned, and some have parents who just don't understand how vital it is for them to talk to their children about drug use. This fact alone represents one important reason why community organizations need to be involved in educating both parents and children about the dangers of drug abuse. We need effective education and prevention programs in our schools and communities. Even for children blessed with dedicated, concerned parents, these school- and community-based programs are vitally important. Indeed, according to the 1999 PRIDE survey, students who never or seldom join in community activities are 52.6% more likely to use drugs. Additionally, students who report never taking part in gangs are 90.8% less likely to use drugs. It is clear that the more children hear the truth about what drug abuse and addiction can do to them, the more likely they will turn their backs on drug use and lead productive lives. I don't know if there is any law that can stop a teenager from saying "yes" to that first puff of a marijuana joint, that first line of cocaine, that first tab of ecstasy, or that first injection of heroin. If I knew what this law were, I would dedicate my career to passing it as, I am sure, would every Senator of this Committee . The fact is there is no magical or simple answer to this problem. That means we all must redouble our efforts to do everything we can to decrease the odds that our youth will fall prey to drug abuse and increase the odds that they will live healthy, productive lives. This legislation marks a sustained commitment to prevention and education. The bill, for instance, provides resources to public and nonprofit private entities to carry out school-based programs about the dangers of using illicit drugs. It would also provide counseling, training, and mentoring services to America's most at- risk children-those in low-income and high-crime communities who have a parent or legal guardian who is in jail or prison. Another important provision of this bill answers the call to treat drug addicts while they are under the supervision of our criminal justice system. As many Americans have come to realize, a large number of criminals commit crimes to feed their drug habits, and if we can break the addiction, we will see a significant increase in public safety. It makes sense, then, to devote resources to treating criminal addicts before they are turned loose on our streets. Of course, there are some who believe we will never be able to conquer drug abuse and the only answer is to legalize drugs. I, along with a strong majority of the American population, do not buy into this unfortunate rhetoric. We need to remain steadfast in our commitment to enforcing our laws, while at the same time investing in programs that are compassionate and offer those addicted to drugs an opportunity to return to society in a productive manner. I look forward to hearing from our panelists their suggestions, based on their own experience and expertise, about what works, what doesn't, and what can be done. In particular, I am interested in listening to any suggestions you may have for Senator Leahy and me to improve this legislation.

LOAD-DATE: March 15, 2001, Thursday