Chuck Grassley: “there is an old saying that reminds us that when you have no idea of where you're going, any road will get you there.…”

“there is an old saying that reminds us that when you have no idea of where you're going, any road will get you there. Well, that wisdom explains a lot about our current national drug strategy. It's a poor little lamb that has lost its way. The administration has never made drug control a serious element in its policies. Oh, we have had all the right sound bites. But we have not had the sound efforts. Not now, not from the beginning. We are paying the price for this inattention. In this and a subsequent statement, I will explain in more detail why I believe our national drug efforts are in disarray. Why they need more attention, more oversight, and more consistency. I remind you, Mr. President, that this administration opened its doors for business with a move to gut the Office of National Drug Control Policy. It then began a process of cutting support to law enforcement, interdiction, and international control efforts. That process continued until the Congress reversed the trend in 1995. Even then, the administration did not change its tune on drug policy until the 1996 campaign. To those who might believe that none of this made any difference anyway, let me remind you of some disturbing facts. Let me begin with a reminder of why we have a drug policy. We have a drug control policy because this country has a big appetite for illegal drugs. We have a major problem with addiction because we have a lot of hardcore users and new initiates.”