Sam Gibbons: “few in this body would argue that a more worthy cause for Federal funds exists than the fight to keep our Nation's…”

“few in this body would argue that a more worthy cause for Federal funds exists than the fight to keep our Nation's children off of drugs. However, a six-year professional study released yesterday reveals that we are not winning the war on juvenile drug use. In fact, a dozen other recent studies have all come to the very same conclusion, that, overall, America's efforts just do not deliver on its promise to teach kids to resist drugs. According to this latest study, last year alone, hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on ``feel-good'' programs that have apparently had little or no effect on our kids. Mr. Speaker, this is a growing national crisis that is too important to ignore, too important for our children's future, and too important for us to fail. Mr. Speaker, this is not about laying blame or pointing fingers, it is about correcting mistakes. The young people in this country are our future, and it is our duty to see that they grow up in a world free of the scourge of drugs.”