Ehrlich on Washington column, March 10, 1996

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 3 1 5 Cannon House Office Building Lutherville, Maryland 2 1 093 Washington, D.C. 205 1 5 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of March 10, 1996 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. RENEWING AMERICA’S WAR ON DRUGS There’s sobering news to report from the front lines. America is losing the war on drugs. Since 1992, drug use in the United States has been on the upswing-especially among our nation’s young people. Marijuana use jumped 137 percent among 12 and 13 year olds, and 200 percent among 14 and 15 year olds. Methamphetamine cases rose 256 percent over the 1991 level. In 1 994, emergency room reports involving cocaine use reached an all-time high. These numbers tell a chilling tale. The federal government’s anti-drug efforts have clearly suffered a serious setback. Between 1979 and 1992, overall drug use in the United States decreased by 50 percent due to the proactive policies of the Reagan and Bush Administrations. Since that time, the battle has clearly, and dramatically, turned against us. Over the past year the House Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice, on which I serve as vice chairman, has tried to find ways to get our nation’s drug policy back on track. We held five oversight hearings to assess the status of America’s drug control strategy and its implementation. We sought advice and counsel from Clinton Administration officials and outside experts. This past week my colleagues and I released an investigative report into our findings. The report, entitled National Drug Policy: A Review of the Status of the Drug War, highlights many of the problems with current drug policy. More importantly, it offers suggestions on ways