Mark Souder: “Mr. Speaker, the abuse of illegal narcotics and its silent, everyday impact on the health and safety of families and the…”

“Mr. Speaker, the abuse of illegal narcotics and its silent, everyday impact on the health and safety of families and the stability of every community across the country continues to be one of the most pressing issues facing the United States. This bill, introduced by myself and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), the distinguished chairman of the full committee, is a forceful and bipartisan recommitment to our diverse national efforts to control drug abuse and to renew our support for a strong Office of National Drug Control Policy, to plan and coordinate the President's strategy to measurably reduce drug use by American youth and to control drug abuse and its consequences. Mr. Speaker, most people driving on two-lane highways throughout the farmland of northeast Indiana would probably find it hard to believe that the plague of illegal narcotics hits home even there, but drug use and abuse is not unique to the big cities on the coasts. In 1996, Indiana law enforcement knew of only a single methamphetamine lab in the entire State. Only 5 years later, there were 499. That number dropped to 375 in 2002, but it is still an indication of the kinds of challenges places like Indiana face when it comes to illegal drugs.”