Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2005
OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - March 09, 2006)
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Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I do not have to tell you about the epidemic abuse of methamphetamine that has swept this country. It has devastated States such as mine. Missouri has one of the worst meth problems in the country. From 1995 to 2002, Missouri reported a 97.4 percent increase in methamphetamine-related admissions to emergency rooms. In 2003, Missouri had the highest number of meth lab seizures in the country.
Missouri is not alone. Meth abuse impacts every community; there is no State where meth cannot be found. In 2005 alone, approximately 5,000 meth labs were seized by law enforcement officials. This serious epidemic requires a serious response, and I believe we have to ensure that all agencies are vigorously fighting the meth epidemic.
This includes agencies such as Department of Health and Human Services. HHS sponsored and participated in a conference promoting the ideology of reducing the negative impact of drugs, or the safe use of drugs, rather than stopping the use of illegal drugs.
We need to take seriously the meth epidemic sweeping our Nation. Now is not the time to be lax on drug enforcement. We need to take a hard approach to fight this menace and ensure that the administration and agencies are taking the meth epidemic seriously and supporting efforts to prevent drug abuse, not the safe use.
My amendment is very simple. My amendment will demand that the Office of National Drug Control Policy conduct a report to explain how it happened that the Department of Health and Human Services sponsored this pro-meth conference and what management and reporting systems the Office of National Drug Control Policy will change to ensure that the Department of Health and Human Services is anti-meth and supportive of efforts fighting the meth epidemic.
I ask all Members to support this amendment. This is a serious issue in combating a very dangerous drug, and obviously the meth epidemic.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, this amendment is very simple. It is not going to take much. It will just ask that the National Office on Drug Control Policy explain to us their participation in this conference and show us that they are serious about the fight on drugs, they are serious about fighting this epidemic. It gives a report to Congress. That is all it does.
I would like an explanation for this action. I would like an explanation for what took place. Again, it is a very simple amendment, and I do not think it is asking too much.
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Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
That is exactly what we are trying to do, Mr. Chairman, is just ask that taxpayer dollars be used responsibly and not for conferences such as this. We need to fight drugs, not show people that they can be used in a safe manner. I think that is ridiculous.
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Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Rehberg) for working with me on this issue.
Meth abuse is prevalent in all the States and imposes a high cost on society, Mr. Chairman. Meth is highly addictive and its effects are severe and longlasting. Recent studies have demonstrated meth causes more damage to the brain than heroine, alcohol, or cocaine. Its abuse impacts not only the users but also the user's family and the general public. Thousands of children across the country have been taken away from their meth-abusing parents, placed with relatives, or shifted into the already overcrowded foster care system.
It is our duty in Congress to ensure that the public is informed and educated about the dangerous effects of this drug, and that is why I helped introduce this amendment.
This amendment is an important tool to fight the meth epidemic. It will require that at least 10 percent of the media budget for the Office of National Drug Control Policy be spent on advertising fighting meth abuse. With this minimum percentage we can ensure that the public is educated about the dangers and risks of this deadly drug and help prevent its further abuse.
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