Chuck Grassley: “Recent information from a wide variety of sources make two things very clear about the issue of drug policy, drug trends…”

“Recent information from a wide variety of sources make two things very clear about the issue of drug policy, drug trends and the problems it causes, and that is that teenage drug use is on the rise, a disturbingly fast rise, and also that the American public remains very concerned about the need for counter-drug policies that are effective. We know from virtually every survey, every reporting mechanism on drug use that adolescent use is on a rocket ride into the upper atmosphere. We know from hospital data that emergency room admissions are on the increase and that many of these involve young people. Late last year, we had firm confirmation of just how bad things are and where they are headed. The administration released the latest high school survey. These data make it abundantly clear that not only is use of drugs going up, but youthful attitude toward the dangers of drug use are changing and changing for the worst. The best spin that the administration could put on the data was somehow, 'Well, it's not as bad as it was in 1979.' Just what sort of a comment does that say? It notes that since 1992, the proportion of 10th graders using illicit drugs in the prior 12 months had risen by almost 75 percent. Marijuana use among 8th graders--those would be people as young as 13 years of age--has risen by 2 rac{1}{2} times. Prevalence among 10th graders has doubled. These figures are bad enough, but what is worse is that they come after decades of decline.”