Patrick Leahy: “H.R. 3633, ``The Controlled Substances Trafficking Prohibition Act,'' addresses a gap in our controlled substances laws.…”

“H.R. 3633, ``The Controlled Substances Trafficking Prohibition Act,'' addresses a gap in our controlled substances laws. At present, people entering the United States from Mexico may bring up to a ninety-day supply of drug products into the country without a prescription, under the so-called ``personal use'' exemption. Many of these drug products are then illegally distributed within the United States. Such abuses have increased dramatically in recent years, and there is a need to address this problem now. H.R. 3633 does this by limiting the personal use exemption in certain circumstances to 50 dosage units. But this is only a stopgap measure. What constitutes ``personal use'' is a complicated issue that will turn on a number of circumstances, including the nature of the controlled substance and the medical needs of the individual. It is the sort of issue that should be addressed not through single-standard legislation but through measures regulations passed by an agency with expertise in the matter. For this reason, I believe that we will have to take this issue up again next year, to direct the Department of Justice to study the problems at our borders and to pass regulations that are more finely-tuned to address those problems. In the meantime, H.R. 3633 will help to stem the tide of illegal importations of controlled drugs, which pose dangers to Americans when illegally distributed and used.”