Don Nickles: “Whatever happened to the war on drugs? In 1981, Americans were calling the drug epidemic the gravest internal problem…”

“Whatever happened to the war on drugs? In 1981, Americans were calling the drug epidemic the gravest internal problem facing our society. So Ronald Reagan issued a clarion call. He said, ``The United States has taken down the surrender flag and run up the battle flag. And we are going to win the war on drugs.'' That was in 1982. In 1992, candidate Clinton sounded out an all-out drug war charge. It is now 1996, an election year. Today, more than 3 years into his term, President Clinton is announcing his drug policy. Maybe it is better late than never. But to this Senator it sounds a lot like an election conversion. Under the Clinton administration, drug use amongst teenagers is up sharply, and drugs are more readily available and more cheaply available than at any time in our Nation's history. The surrender flag has been run up the pole once again. This is not a partisan point of view. Look at what some leading Democrats said about Clinton's lack of leadership in combating drug use. ``The President is silent on the matter. He has failed to speak.''”