Political Quotes

“Today Senators Daschle, DeWine and I rise to introduce a resolution that will help fight a silent epidemic among America's youth. This epidemic can leave young people permanently brain damaged or, worse, dead. It is called inhalant abuse. This resolution will designate the week of March 18 through March 24, 2001, as 'National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week.' What exactly are inhalants? Inhalants are the intentional breathing of gas or vapors for the purpose of reaching a high. Over 1,400 common products can be abused, such as lighter fluid, pressurized whipped cream, hair spray, and gasoline, the abused product of choice in rural Alaska. These products are inexpensive, easily obtained and legal. An inhalant abuse counselor told me, 'If it smells like a chemical, it can be abused.' It's a 'silent epidemic' because few adults really appreciate the severity of the problem: One in five students has tried inhalants by the time they reach the eighth grade; use of inhalants by children has nearly doubled in the last 10 years; and inhalants are the third most abused substances among teenagers, behind alcohol and tobacco. Inhalants are deadly. Inhalant vapors react with fatty tissues in the brain, literally dissolving them. One time use of inhalants can cause instant and permanent brain, heart, kidney, liver or other organ damage.”