While addressing a crowd in Cedar Rapids last Friday, Republican Presidential candidate George W. Bush said the war on drugs “is a cause I will lead” and promised an additional $2.8 billion in spending over five years to fight increased drug use. Bush said the money would be used to create new drug prevention and treatment programs.
Using statistics from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Bush said teenage drug use increased every year during 1992-97. According to the latest data by the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, teenage drug use has declined 21 percent since 1997.
“Unfortunately, in the last seven and a half years, fighting drugs has ceased to be a national priority,” Bush said. “Drug policy has been pursued without urgency, without energy, without success.”
“Bush appears ‘high’ on drug war rhetoric,” said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director. “To claim that the Clinton administration hasn’t vigorously prosecuted the drug war is pure hyperbole. Unfortunately, from NORML’s perspective, the Clinton administration has wasted more taxpayers’ dollars, arrested and imprisoned more citizens on drug charges – especially for marijuana – than either the Reagan or Bush administrations. Bush’s rhetoric is scary and clearly out of touch with most mainstream Americans.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Presidential candidate Al Gore has proposed $5.3 billion for drug prevention and treatment programs and a national anti-drug media campaign. Gore is also seeking tougher penalties for drug dealers who sell to minors.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director at (202) 483-8751.
