II

Calendar No. 39

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 609

To amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994

to prevent the abuse of inhalants through programs under that Act,

and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 15, 1999

Mr. MURKOWSKI introduced the following bill; which was read the first time

MARCH 16, 1999

Read the second time and placed on the calendar

A BILL

To amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities

Act of 1994 to prevent the abuse of inhalants through

programs under that Act, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

4 Section 4131 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and

5 Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7141) is amended

6 by adding at the end the following:
2

•S 609 PCS

1 ‘‘(7) ABUSE.—The term ‘abuse’, used with re2 spect to an inhalant, means the intentional breath3 ing of gas or vapors from the inhalant for the pur4 pose of achieving an altered state of consciousness.

5 ‘‘(8) DRUG.—The term ‘drug’ includes a sub6 stance that is an inhalant, whether or not possession

7 or consumption of the substance is legal.

8 ‘‘(9) INHALANT.—The term ‘inhalant’ means a

9 product that—

10 ‘‘(A) may be a legal, commonly available

11 product; and

12 ‘‘(B) has a useful purpose but can be

13 abused, such as spray paint, glue, gasoline, cor14 rection fluid, furniture polish, a felt tip marker,

15 pressurized whipped cream, an air freshener,

16 butane, or cooking spray.

17 ‘‘(10) USE.—The term ‘use’, used with respect

18 to an inhalant, means abuse of the inhalant.’’.

19 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

20 Section 4002 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and

21 Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7102) is amended—

22 (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, and the

23 abuse of inhalants,’’ after ‘‘other drugs’’;

24 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and the ille25 gal use of alcohol and drugs’’ and inserting ‘‘, the
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1 illegal use of alcohol and drugs, and the abuse of

2 inhalants’’;

3 (3) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and tobacco’’

4 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘, tobacco, and

5 inhalants’’;

6 (4) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘and illegal

7 drug use’’ and inserting ‘‘, illegal drug use, and in8 halant abuse’’; and

9 (5) by adding at the end the following:

10 ‘‘(11)(A) The number of children using

11 inhalants has doubled during the 10-year period pre12 ceding 1999. Inhalants are the third most abused

13 class of substances by children age 12 through 14 in

14 the United States, behind alcohol and tobacco. One

15 of 5 students in the United States has tried

16 inhalants by the time the student has reached the

17 8th grade.

18 ‘‘(B) Inhalant vapors react with fatty tissues in

19 the brain, literally dissolving the tissues. A single

20 use of inhalants can cause instant and permanent

21 brain, heart, kidney, liver, and other organ damage.

22 The user of an inhalant can suffer from Sudden

23 Sniffing Death Syndrome, which can cause a user to

24 die the first, tenth, or hundredth time the user uses

25 an inhalant.
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1 ‘‘(C) Because inhalants are legal, education on

2 the dangers of inhalant abuse is the most effective

3 method of preventing the abuse of inhalants.’’.

4 SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

5 Section 4003 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and

6 Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7103) is amended,

7 in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and

8 abuse of inhalants’’ after ‘‘and drugs’’.

9 SEC. 4. GOVERNOR’S PROGRAMS.

10 Section 4114(c)(2) of the Safe and Drug-Free

11 Schools and Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C.

12 7114(c)(2)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including inhalant

13 abuse education)’’ after ‘‘drug and violence prevention’’.

14 SEC. 5. DRUG AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

15 Section 4116 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and

16 Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7116) is amended—

17 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, and

18 the abuse of inhalants,’’ after ‘‘illegal drugs’’; and

19 (2) in subsection (b)—

20 (A) in paragraph (1)—

21 (i) by inserting ‘‘and the abuse of

22 inhalants’’ after ‘‘use of illegal drugs’’; and

23 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and abuse

24 inhalants’’ after ‘‘use illegal drugs’’; and

25 (B) in paragraph (2)—
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1 (i) in the matter preceding subpara2 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘(including age ap3 propriate inhalant abuse prevention pro4 grams for all students, from the preschool

5 level through grade 12)’’ after ‘‘drug pre6 vention’’; and

7 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting

8 ‘‘and inhalant abuse’’ after ‘‘drug use’’.

9 SEC. 6. FEDERAL ACTIVITIES.

10 Section 4121(a) of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools

11 and Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7131(a)) is

12 amended, in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘illegal use of

13 drugs’’ and inserting ‘‘illegal use of drugs, the abuse of

14 inhalants,’’.

15 SEC. 7. MATERIALS.

16 Section 4132(a) of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools

17 and Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7142(a)) is

18 amended by striking ‘‘illegal use of alcohol and other

19 drugs’’ and inserting ‘‘illegal use of alcohol and other

20 drugs and the abuse of inhalants’’.

21 SEC. 8. QUALITY RATING.

22 Section 4134(b)(1) of the Safe and Drug-Free

23 Schools and Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C.

24 7144(b)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and the abuse of

25 inhalants,’’ after ‘‘tobacco’’.
Calendar No. 39

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 609

A BILL

To amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and

for other purposes.inhalants through programs under that Act, andCommunities Act of 1994 to prevent the abuse of

MARCH 16, 1999

Read the second time and placed on the calendar