Political Quotes

“Yes, I would. Mr. President, I want to make it clear that Section 2202 of the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act was not included because the Senate wants to cut substance abuse treatment, prevention, education and research programs. After all, when the Senate unanimously passed S. 304, the Drug Abuse Education, Prevention and Treatment Act, which Senators Hatch, Leahy and I introduced, it went on record supporting an increase in funding for demand reduction programs, including providing treatment for some of the 3.9 million people in this country who need it but are not receiving it. I know that the President does not want to shrink these programs either. Recall that when he announced Mr. Walters' nomination to be drug czar, he said that ``the most effective way to reduce the supply of drugs in America is to reduce the demand for drugs in America'' and he pledged that his administration ``will focus unprecedented attention on the demand side of the problem.'' As I see it, the study is meant to assess current programs in order to identify where there may be duplication of effort and where we need to increase effort. The belief that demand reduction programs are a valuable part of our national drug policy needs to guide this report. That does not mean that the authors should be afraid of recommending ways to deliver services more efficiently or to suggest that there is duplication of effort that needs to be streamlined.”