III

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 295

To express the sense of the Senate concerning the development of effective

methods for eliminating the use of heroin.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

OCTOBER 9 (legislative day, OCTOBER 2), 1998

Mr. COATS (for himself, Mr. MCCAIN, and Mr. COVERDELL) submitted the

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Labor and

Human Resources

RESOLUTION

To express the sense of the Senate concerning the development of effective methods for eliminating the use of

heroin.

Whereas heroin use in the United States continues to increase;

Whereas drug use among teenagers in the United States is

increasing and the number of teenagers that are using

heroin for the first time is higher than any other number

previously determined;

Whereas between 1992 and 1996, heroin use among collegeage students increased an estimated 10 percent;

Whereas an estimated 810,000 chronic heroin addicts live in

the United States;
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Whereas an estimated 115,000 heroin addicts in the United

States are currently participating in methadone programs;

Whereas methadone is a synthetic opiate and the use of

methadone in treatment for heroin addiction results in

the transfer of addiction from one drug to another drug;

Whereas heroin addicts and methadone addicts are unable to

function as self-sufficient, productive members of society;

Whereas methadone addicts who attempt to become drug free

experience the same difficult withdrawal process as that

experienced by heroin addicts;

Whereas the Clinton Administration, through the Office of

National Drug Control Policy, is directing the drug policy

of the United States toward the wrong goals by announcing a new heroin policy;

Whereas that heroin policy would double the number of heroin addicts transferred to methadone addiction, loosen

controls with respect to the licensing of methadone dispensers, and promote methadone addiction as the principal means of ending heroin addiction;

Whereas no official responsible for that policy has consulted

with Congress concerning that policy and the Clinton Administration lacks sufficient statutory and budgetary authority to carry out that policy; and

Whereas in promoting methadone addiction as the preferred

treatment for heroin addiction, the Clinton Administration has abandoned heroin addicts to a lifetime of Government-sponsored drug dependency: Now, therefore, be

it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that—
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1 (1) the Federal Government should adopt a

2 zero-tolerance drug-free policy that has as its prin3 cipal objective the elimination of drug abuse and ad4 diction, including both methadone and heroin;

5 (2) Congress should conduct a thorough exam6 ination of the national drug control policy of the

7 United States to determine the reasons for the fail8 ure of methadone and methadone maintenance pro9 grams to eliminate heroin addiction;

10 (3) Congress should carefully examine alter11 native approaches to curing heroin addiction, and

12 focus on treatments that eliminate dependence on,

13 or addiction to, any substance or drug; and

14 (4) Congress should work with the Clinton Ad15 ministration to develop an effective drug control pol16 icy that—

17 (A) includes a clear and comprehensive

18 strategy to provide for a transition to a zero19 tolerance, drug-free program that is based on

20 detoxification and the comprehensive treatment

21 of the pathology of drug addiction;

22 (B) addresses other human needs that con23 tribute to recidivism among recovering heroin

24 addicts; and
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1 (C) provides opportunities for former ad2 dicts to become self-sufficient, productive mem3 bers of society.

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