Supporting the goals and ideals of the Vigil for Lost Promise day.

Mr. Speaker, As an original cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 422, I rise in support of this important resolution expressing the support of Congress for the goals and ideals of the Vigil for Lost Promise Day.

More than 26,000 lives may be lost to the effects of drug abuse this year. This tragic impact is felt in communities across this great nation. Sadly many of these deaths occur among our young people.

One thing we know about drugs is that they do not discriminate and they do not engage in favoritism--not on the basis of race, color, gender, class, geographic location, or age. Drugs have the same impact on everyone who succumbs to their influence.

Moreover, the pain felt by the tragic loss of a loved one to drug overdose or to the deadly effects of chronic drug abuse is universal. The sense of loss, bewilderment, and often shame are known to parents, children, spouses, loved ones and friends of the victims of drug abuse and addiction from all walks of life. These emotions can be especially acute when the victim is a young person who will never have the opportunity to express his or her potential, to live out the promise of a full and productive life.

Envisioned by eight families who have personally suffered the loss of a loved one because of drugs, the Vigil for Lost Promise will serve as a remembrance for those who are

gone, and to illuminate the pervasive and dangerous effects of drug use. The ultimate objective of these eight families is to help ensure that other families will not have to endure the same kind of loss.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Partnership for a Drug Free America have joined the families in support of this effort to raise awareness about the terrible toll that drugs take not just on families and friends but on society as a whole.

I join my colleagues in saluting these organizations, each of which plays a vital role in our national control strategy, as well as the courageous families and other participants who will attend this important event, which will occur this Thursday, June 8th, at DEA's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, as we have observed over the past few years, the meth epidemic has awakened much of America to the rampant devastation that drugs can cause to entire communities. This kind of devastation has long been known to urban centers like my own city of Baltimore--cities that have suffered through successive epidemics of heroin, cocaine and crack.

As a result of the meth epidemic, I believe there is a heightened awareness around the country and in this House that drugs don't just impair and kill individual drug users; they tear apart families and neighborhoods. I am hopeful that Thursday's Vigil will bring about even broader recognition of the fact that this problem affects all Americans and that it requires a strong national commitment to drug prevention, drug treatment, combined with concerted efforts to keep drugs off of our streets and out of the hands of our nation's young people.

Sadly, over the past six years, we have seen this Administration shift funding away from prevention, treatment, and state and local law enforcement in favor of supply reduction efforts beyond our borders. This strategy has resulted in no discernible impact on the availability of drugs on the street, and the number of lives lost to drugs like cocaine, crack, heroin and meth continues to climb.

Mr. Speaker, Congress faces difficult choices and the national preoccupation with preventing potential terror attacks is justified by the lingering shock and damage of the 9-11 attacks. Still, we cannot afford to ignore a drug problem that claims more than two thousand American lives each month. If we lack the political will or resources to make a truly substantial investment in prevention and, most important of all, to make drug treatment accessible to all who seek it, at least let us take other steps to ensure that drug abuse claims as few American lives as possible.

There are steps the government can take to avoid preventable deaths from drug overdose and abuse, as well as from the spread of deadly communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, among intravenous drug users.

If we are serious about the goal of saving lives, then let us work together to:

Provide funding to states to establish overdose prevention programs;

Ensure that first responders and law enforcement (including correctional workers) are trained to respond to drug overdoses and save lives;

Increase the availability of naloxone (``nal-OX-own'')--a short- acting drug that can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose--to first responders, law enforcement, needle exchange programs, drug treatment centers, and other public health facilities;

And, finally, allow federal funds to be used to support needle and syringe exchange programs, which have been proven in scientific study after scientific study to reduce HIV transmission without increasing drug use.

All of these are steps that, if implemented, would save lives, preserve human potential, and reduce the suffering of families and communities across America.

By decrying the terrible impact of drugs and yet failing to take prudent action to avoid preventable drug-related deaths, Congress and the Administration risk sending a mixed message to parents who have lost a child to drugs or who stand to lose a child to drug abuse if we don't do our part.

So, as we commemorate the lives of those whose promise has been extinguished by drugs, let us be equally mindful of those who are still with us--but whose lives are in danger and hang perilously in the balance. Let us commit to helping them to avoid the terrible fate of having their promise needlessly lost and being mourned by those who love and care for them.

Mr. Speaker, I want to close by thanking Mr. Davis and Mr. Souder for bringing this resolution before us and by again saluting everyone who has worked to make the Vigil for Lost Promise come to fruition. I urge all of my colleagues to support the resolution and, more importantly, to support policies and initiatives that will minimize the number of lives lost to drug abuse from this day forward.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, many people view drug abuse and addiction strictly as a social problem. Parents, teens, older adults and other members of the community tend to characterize people who take drugs as morally weak or as having criminal tendencies. They believe that drug abusers and addicts should be able to stop taking drugs if they simply are willing to change their behavior. These myths have stereotyped those with drug- related problems, their families, their communities and the health care professionals who work with them. Drug abuse and addiction comprise a public health problem that affects many people and has wide-ranging social consequences.

A Vigil for Lost Promise Day will help replace the myths and long- held mistaken beliefs about drug abuse and addiction with scientific evidence that addiction is a chronic, relapsing, and treatable disease. Addiction does begin when an individual makes a conscious choice to abuse drugs, but addiction is not just using a lot of drugs.

Recent scientific research provides overwhelming evidence that drugs do more than interfere with normal brain functioning by creating powerful feelings of pleasure. They also have long-term effects on brain metabolism and activity. Changes occur in the brain that can turn drug abuse into drug addiction, a chronic and relapsing illness. Those who are addicted to drugs suffer from compulsive drug cravings and usage that they cannot quit alone. Treatment is necessary to end the compulsive behavior.

Drugs crush the hopes, dreams and potential of drug users, and they shatter the lives of the users' families and friends. I support Vigil for Lost Promise Day because it will draw attention to the impact drugs have, not only on users, but to their loved ones and the community at large.

I look forward, Mr. Speaker, to the day when our country will treat this illness the way it should be treated and that we will have available to individuals treatment on demand, that is, individuals when they know that they are ready and are willing to seek treatment ought to have resources and places to go.

So I commend the sponsors of this legislation and urge its support.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 422) supporting the goals and ideals of the Vigil for Lost Promise day.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 422, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), the committee chairman. This resolution would support the goals and ideals of the Vigil for Lost Promise Day.

Mr. Speaker, drug use and abuse is a national crisis that affects the health of many of our citizens and affects all our communities. Drugs affect people from all walks of life, and addiction does not discriminate. Millions of families and friends have experienced the loss of a loved one to drug use. Addiction has many dimensions and disrupts multiple aspects in an individual's life. Drugs rob users, their families and their friends of dreams, promises and their ambition, their talents and their vitality.

This resolution honors those family members and friends who feel the pain and tragedy each day from the loss of life to drugs. The Vigil for Lost Promise is a national event which brings together parents and friends who have lost someone to drugs and for those who are dedicated to the promise and potential of our Nation's youths.

The stigma attached to drug use causes many friends and families to feel ashamed to acknowledge the death of their loved ones. However, this event offers an opportunity for families to remember those and is dedicated to the education of others on the importance of keeping our youth drug free.

I ask that all Members join with me in supporting H. Con. Res. 422 in the hope that we can offer support to the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones to the perils of addiction.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of H. Con. Res. 422, and I yield back the balance of my time.