Jon L. Christensen: “we have a problem, a very serious problem that has cast a long, dark shadow over our great land. The problem, Mr.…”

“we have a problem, a very serious problem that has cast a long, dark shadow over our great land. The problem, Mr. Speaker, is drugs. The United States has seen an 80- percent increase in the use of illegal drugs in the last 4 years. This is an unconscionable statistic, a statistic that we can no longer afford to ignore. Cocaine use up by 166 percent and marijuana use up by 141 percent. Last year 1 in 10 kids used drugs regularly. That is too many. Our children are the real bridge to the 21st century, and they are being torn down by these drugs. It must end if we intend to give them a bright future. I knocked on 3,500 doors while I was back in Omaha during the August recess. I can't tell you how many people in Nebraska said to me one thing: find a way to fight the drug war. This in not an east coast or a west coast problem, an urban or a rural problem; it is a national problem. We live in the greatest Nation in the world and can ill afford to let this problem continue. It's time we said just said no again.”