I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2873
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 24, 2003
Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon (for herself, Mr. WALDEN of Oregon, Mr. HINCHEY, 
Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. WOLF, and Mrs. MALONEY) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce 
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fighting Abuse of 
Inhalants Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 4131 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7141) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) ABUSE.—The term ‘abuse’, used with re-
spect to an inhalant, means the intentional breath-
ing of gas or vapors from the inhalant for the pur-
pose of achieving an altered state of consciousness. 
‘‘(8) DRUG.—The term ‘drug’ includes a sub-
stance that is an inhalant, whether or not possession 
or consumption of the substance is legal. 
‘‘(9) INHALANT.—The term ‘inhalant’ means a 
product that—
‘‘(A) may be a legal, commonly available 
product; and 
‘‘(B) has a useful purpose but can be 
abused, such as spray paint, glue, gasoline, cor-
rection fluid, furniture polish, a felt tip marker, 
pressurized whipped cream, an air freshener, 
butane, or cooking spray. 
‘‘(10) USE.—The term ‘use’, used with respect 
to an inhalant, means abuse of the inhalant.’’. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Section 4002 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7102) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, and the 
abuse of inhalants,’’ after ‘‘other drugs’’; 
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and the ille-
gal use of alcohol and drugs’’ and inserting ‘‘, the 
illegal use of alcohol and drugs, and the abuse of 
inhalants’’; 
(3) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and tobacco’’ 
each place it appears and inserting ‘‘, tobacco, and 
inhalants’’; 
(4) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘and illegal 
drug use’’ and inserting ‘‘, illegal drug use, and in-
halant abuse’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(11)(A) 
The 
number 
of 
children 
using 
inhalants has doubled during the 10-year period pre-
ceding 1999. Inhalants are the third most abused 
class of substances by children age 12 through 14 in 
the United States, behind alcohol and tobacco. One 
of 5 students in the United States has tried 
inhalants by the time the student has reached the 
8th grade. 
‘‘(B) Inhalant vapors react with fatty tissues in 
the brain, literally dissolving the tissues. A single 
use of inhalants can cause instant and permanent 
brain, heart, kidney, liver, and other organ damage.
The user of an inhalant can suffer from Sudden 
Sniffing Death Syndrome, which can cause a user to 
die the first, tenth, or hundredth time the user uses 
an inhalant. 
‘‘(C) Because inhalants are legal, education on 
the dangers of inhalant abuse is the most effective 
method of preventing the abuse of inhalants.’’. 
SEC. 4. PURPOSE. 
Section 4003 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7103) is amended 
in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘and 
abuse of inhalants’’ after ‘‘and drugs’’. 
SEC. 5. GOVERNOR’S PROGRAMS. 
Section 4114(c)(2) of the Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 
7114(c)(2)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including inhalant 
abuse education)’’ after ‘‘drug and violence prevention’’. 
SEC. 6. DRUG AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. 
Section 4116 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7116) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, and 
the abuse of inhalants,’’ after ‘‘illegal drugs’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) by inserting ‘‘and the abuse of 
inhalants’’ after ‘‘use of illegal drugs’’; and 
(ii) 
by 
inserting 
‘‘and 
abuse 
inhalants’’ after ‘‘use illegal drugs’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)—
(i) in the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A), by inserting ‘‘(including age ap-
propriate inhalant abuse prevention pro-
grams for all students, from the preschool 
level through grade 12)’’ after ‘‘drug pre-
vention’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 
‘‘and inhalant abuse’’ after ‘‘drug use’’. 
SEC. 7. FEDERAL ACTIVITIES. 
Section 4121(a) of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools 
and Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7131(a)) is 
amended in the first sentence by striking ‘‘illegal use of 
drugs’’ and inserting ‘‘illegal use of drugs, the abuse of 
inhalants,’’. 
SEC. 8. MATERIALS. 
Section 4132(a) of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools 
and Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7142(a)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘illegal use of alcohol and other 
drugs’’ and inserting ‘‘illegal use of alcohol and other 
drugs and the abuse of inhalants’’.
SEC. 9. QUALITY RATING. 
Section 4134(b)(1) of the Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 
7144(b)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and the abuse of 
inhalants,’’ after ‘‘tobacco’’.
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