AMERICA'S CHILDREN SACRIFICED BY DRUG LEGALIZERS

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2001 - Recently, the Supreme Court heard the case of
U.S. v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative; the issue of so-called
"medical marijuana." Although a ruling by the Court is not expected for
several months, its significance for our future, for our children, cannot
be overstated.

Directly defying our efforts as a Congress and a nation, a small group of
well-funded activists have engaged in deceptive, back-door, efforts to
legalize drugs that are already banned under federal law. Proponents hide
behind the myth of the so-called "medical" use of marijuana, despite the
fact that there is no scientific proof this mind-altering substance
provides any real medical relief.

From a purely political standpoint, the medicinal strategy has worked
rather well for the legalizers. Backed by a handful of wealthy patrons like
George Soros, in a few short years legalization advocates have transformed
themselves from socially unacceptable pariahs into the darlings of the
national media.

Increasingly, however, they have abandoned even this pretense, and made
clear that their goal is the legalization or decriminalization of narcotic
drugs. One activist called it the "leaky bucket strategy ..... legalize it
in one area, and sooner or later it will trickle down into the others." The
bucket is now leaking faster than ever.

A lackadasical attitude towards America's drug war cannot be tolerated

because our children will be the real victims. According to a study
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year,
non-drug users who lived in households where drugs, including marijuana,
are used are 11 times as likely to be killed as those living in drug-free
households. So if a young person or an individual comes from a house where
drugs are being used, this study by the American Medical Association said
they increase their chances of being killed by 11 times.

Marijuana was, and still is, a gateway drug; a dangerous mind altering
substance that leads to abuse of other drugs like heroin, LSD, cocaine, and
most recently, Ecstasy, and similar so-called "designer drugs."

These "designer drugs" are rapidly becoming the drug of choice among
America's young people, and the consequences can be deadly. It is perceived
by many as harmless because the negative effects are not immediately
noticeable. For this reason, it is not surprising that Monitoring the
Future, an annual study that monitors illicit drug use among teenagers,
reported Ecstasy use growing. Lifetime use among 12th graders increased
from one in fifteen in 1998 to one in twelve in 1999. Past year use went
from one in twenty-five in 1998 to one in fifteen in 1999. This is a
disturbing upward trend.

Ecstasy is a dangerous drug that can be lethal. Many are unaware it can
cause increased heart rate, nausea, fainting, chills, and sleep problems.
In addition to physical effects, there are also psychological effects such
as panic, confusion, anxiety, depression, and paranoia. Scientists are also
learning that Ecstasy may cause irreversible brain damage, and in some
cases it simply stops the heart.

With recent reports of rises in Ecstasy seizures by the U.S. Customs
Service, it seems we have a long, hard battle ahead of us. In fiscal year
1999, Customs seized 3 million doses of Ecstasy . In the first 5 months of
fiscal year 2000, Customs seized 4 million doses. Ecstasy has become such a
threat that Customs has established an Ecstasy Task Force to gather
intelligence on criminal smuggling of Ecstasy. Customs has also trained 13
dogs to detect Ecstasy among those crossing the border and entering major
airports.

We need to put an end to the spread of Ecstasy into our communities. All of
us must work together and educate our young people of the dangers of
"designer drugs." That begins by having a clear and unequivocal message
that drug use is wrong. I hope the Supreme Court spreads that message this
fall.