John Mica: “I always try on Tuesday nights to address the House on the subject of illegal narcotics and drug abuse and the ravages…”

“I always try on Tuesday nights to address the House on the subject of illegal narcotics and drug abuse and the ravages that has placed upon our Nation. We heard earlier a resolution relating to music; and as I sat and heard the speakers talk about music and the importance of music in people's lives, I translated that also into the thought that there are 15,973 Americans who died as a direct result of illegal narcotics in the latest statistical year, 1998. None of those individuals will ever hear music again. The drug czar has told us that over 52,000 people die as a result of direct and indirect causes of illegal narcotics, and none of those people will hear music in their lives. In fact, the only lives that the parents, mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers will hear are funeral dirges and, unfortunately, that music for funerals over the victims of drug abuse and misuse. That music is much too loud across our land and repeated over and over. It is equivalent for our young people to three Columbines every day across this country.”