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Guest Commentary: May 10, 2001
Availability and Usage of Drugs Getting Worse
The Honorable Charles Grassley
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Last month I held a hearing on the Ecstasy problem affecting today's youth. At that hearing the White House released a Pulse Check report on drug trends over the past year.
Drug use in our nation is still increasing. The Pulse Check report found that for most drugs, the availability and usage has been getting worse. It is clear we must take further steps to combat this increase in availability.
The report included information collected from cities all over the country, both urban and rural. It found that heroin use is increasing relative to cocaine. The availability of heroin has been increasing. In fact, drug experts reported that heroin is readily available on our streets, and about half of these experts stated that access to heroin is getting easier. Heroin purity is also increasing, especially as Colombian white heroin is showing up on our door. One major trend found across the nation is that more and more young people are taking up heroin. This is a scourge that must be stopped.
There is another drug that's devastating our young people: Ecstasy and other so-called "club drugs." The report highlighted the dramatic increases in use, particularly among teenagers. Eighteen of twenty cities in the report found Ecstasy to be an emerging concern. Ninety percent of drug treatment and law enforcement experts attest that the availability of Ecstasy has increased in the past year, in spite of all the attention it's been given. It's time we stop just talking about this problem that's destroying our youth, and start taking real action to educate our children and stop the easy availability of this drug at parties and clubs and increasingly in our schoolyards.
Use of other drugs remain at high levels. Marijuana is still widely available, and law enforcement officials regard marijuana as a major threat to our cities. Cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, and other drugs are also increasing in availability and presenting a growing threat to our law enforcement personnel and to all Americans. The Pulse Check report found that the one trend that transcended all drugs was that the users were increasingly likely to be younger people. The age of onset of use is dropping. This heightened assault on our young people cannot be allowed to continue. We must stop the drug trafficking in our schools and near our children.
There were a few positive signs in the report, however. Crack and marijuana use seem to be leveling off, and it appears our efforts are beginning to work in these areas. More effort should be placed in these areas so we do not lose any momentum in fighting these drugs.
I received another report, from the Pew Research Center, that discusses the American people's feelings on the drug war. Pew reports that 74 percent of Americans feel that we are losing the drug war. Drugs also ranked as the number one concern for rural areas, such as my home state of Iowa. This is an issue that clearly affects everyone; there is no place left to hide from this scourge. Americans are worried about this problem, and with good cause. ...
Unfortunately the drug problem remains serious. Drug use is up sharply among our youth, and availability of most drugs is increasing as traffickers are increasing the flow of drugs into our country and into our schools.
Bold steps must be taken to let our children know the risks of these drugs, while also stopping the pushers before they reach young people.
Note: This column has been adapted from a speech Sen. Grassley delivered on the floor of the Senate, May 7, 2001.
 How to contact Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA)
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