Political Quotes

“throughout my years in Congress, I have worked to keep drugs out of our communities. We have all seen the destructive impact drugs have on our communities, and our families. For years, we have heard tragic stories of the lives impacted by drug abuse. These problems plague our society and we must remain united in this struggle to end abuse and addiction. In 1997 I, along with then-Senator Biden, sponsored legislation to create the Drug Free Communities, DFC, program. I believed then--as I still do today--that one of the most effective ways to prevent drug abuse is by supporting community antidrug coalitions to identify, prevent and eradicate the sources of abuse at the grass roots. Since the enactment of the Drug Free Communities Act, thousands of community antidrug coalitions have received Federal support to further their efforts to halt drug abuse in their communities. Coalitions, across the country and in my home State of Iowa, are confronted with unique challenges, but they are leading their communities in finding ways to overcome them. For example, the Van Buren Safe Coalition in Keosauqua, IA implemented comprehensive community wide strategies to address the growing marijuana problem in their community. They conducted town hall meetings to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use; facilitated various community and youth education opportunities; and partnered with local schools to ensure drug policies and codes of conduct were in place.…”