Chuck Grassley: “during the last week of the August recess, I traveled around Iowa launching a statewide antidrug coalition effort. I…”

“during the last week of the August recess, I traveled around Iowa launching a statewide antidrug coalition effort. I have been working on putting this program together for the last 2 years. It is an effort to bring together elements from all across my State from all areas of life to deal with the growing drug problem. I have spoken often about this problem here and in many of my public speeches. While we often hear about drug use in our inner cities, we are, perhaps, a little less prepared to learn about major drug use problems in our rural areas. Well, it's here and it is every bit as serious as drug use in our major urban centers. On my trip around Iowa, a young man named Josh, all of 15 years old, joined me. Josh began using drugs at 11 and was an addict before he was a teenager. He began using marijuana. His friends told him it was 'cool.' He moved from that to just about every drug you can name. His story is becoming all too common. Last April, I held a field hearing in Cedar Rapids. The star witness at that hearing was a young woman of 17 who was a methamphetamine addict at 15. She was not only a user, she was also a pusher. Today, methamphetamine use in Iowa is twice the national average. Iowa is the target for Mexican criminal gangs pushing this drug every bit as much as San Diego or Los Angeles. Iowa and other States in the Midwest are also becoming home to an epidemic of meth-producing laboratories.”