Chuck Grassley: “I have spoken many times in recent months on my concerns for the growing threat to our kids from drug use. All of our…”

“I have spoken many times in recent months on my concerns for the growing threat to our kids from drug use. All of our early warning systems are sounding the alarm. All our major national reviews of drug trends indicate the emerging pattern. What they show is that month by month, day by day, minute by minute, drug use among our young people is on the rise. They also make clear that attitudes among young people about the dangers of drugs are changing-- for the worse. More and more kids, some as young as 10 and 11, are seeing drug use as OK, as no big deal. Let's stop for a minute and reflect on just what these facts mean. For those of us who remember how the last drug epidemic in this country got started, the present trend is truly disturbing. Think for a moment on what happened and how it happened. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, we saw the streets of our inner cities become battlegrounds. We saw many of our communities, our schools our public and private spaces overwhelmed with violence, addiction, and abuse. We saw families destroyed and individual lives shattered. The problem became so serious that the public demanded action. The Congress responded with comprehensive drug legislation in 1986 and 1988. We supported massive increases in public funding to fight back. We still do. To the tune of some $16 billion annually at the Federal level alone. That problem, the one we spend all this money on, began with our kids.…”