Y 4.G 74/7:D 84/42 PROS AND CONS Uг DRU LEGALIZATION, FED-DOCS HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JUNE 16, 1999 Serial No. 106-99 Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM DAN BURTON, Indiana, Chairman BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York MARSHALL "MARK" SANFORD, South BOB BARR, Georgia DAN MILLER, Florida ASA HUTCHINSON, Arkansas LEE TERRY, Nebraska JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois GREG WALDEN, Oregon DOUG OSE, California PAUL RYAN, Wisconsin JOHN T. DOOLITTLE, California HELEN CHENOWETH, Idaho HENRY A. WAXMAN, California ROBERT E. WISE, JR., West Virginia PATSY T. MINK, Hawaii CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, Washington, DC CHAKA FATTAH, Pennsylvania ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, Illinois JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts THOMAS H. ALLEN, Maine HAROLD E. FORD, JR., Tennessee JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont (Independent) KEVIN BINGER, Staff Director DANIEL R. MOLL, Deputy Staff Director DAVID A. Kass, Deputy Counsel and Parliamentarian PHIL SCHILIRO, Minority Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, DRUG POLICY, AND HUMAN RESOURCES CONTENTS Leshner, Alan, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse; and Donnie Marshall, Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration McCaffrey, General Barry R., Director, Office of National Drug Control McDonough, James, director, Office of Drug Control Policy, State of Flor- ida; Scott Ehlers, senior policy analyst, Drug Policy Foundation; Robert L. Maginnis, senior director, Family Research Council; David Boaz, executive vice president, Cato Institute; and Ira Glasser, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union Letters, statements, et cetera, submitted for the record by: Page Gilman, Hon. Benjamin A., a Representative in Congress from the State 11 Report entitled, "Narrow Pathways to Prison: The Selective Incarcer- ation of Repeat Drug Offenders in New York State" Kucinich, Hon. Dennis J., a Representative in Congress from the State 5 Leshner, Alan, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, prepared 107 Maginnis, Robert L., senior director, Family Research Council, prepared 200 Marshall, Donnie, Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administra- 120 McCaffrey, General Barry R., Director, Office of National Drug Control 33 McDonough, James, director, Office of Drug Control Policy, State of Flor- 151 Towns, Hon. Edolphus, a Representative in Congress from the State PROS AND CONS OF DRUG LEGALIZATION, DECRIMINALIZATION, AND HARM REDUCTION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1999 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, DRUG POLICY, AND HUMAN RESOURCES, COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:15 a.m., in room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. John L. Mica (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Mica, Barr, Gilman, Souder, Hutchinson, Ose, Mink, Towns, Cummings and Kucinich. Staff present: Robert Charles, staff director/chief counsel; Andrew Greeley, clerk; Sean Littlefield and Gilbert Macklin, professional staff members; Rob Mobley, congressional fellow; Cherri Branson, minority counsel; and Ellen Rayner, minority chief clerk. Mr. MICA. Good morning, I would like to welcome you to this meeting of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources and call this hearing to order. It is my understanding that they are concluding a Democratic Caucus, and we should be joined by members from the minority side. The Republicans are having a conference which is just concluding, and we should be joined by members from the majority side in just a few minutes. But we will go ahead and begin. I have an opening statement and I will be followed by others who have opening statements today. We have three panels that we will hear from. The subject of today's hearing is the pros and cons of drug legalization, decriminalization, and harm reduction. Today the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources will examine a subject which is frequently talked about but rarely the topic of a congressional hearing-that is the question of drug legalization. Specifically, we will discuss issues relating to drug use, drug offenses, decriminalization, and harm reduction. This hearing is just one more in a series of hearings that we have held and will continue to hold examining our Nation's drug control policy and its effectiveness. As you know, recent statistics on drug use by young people are not just worrisome, they are tragic and sobering. Methods to deter the use and abuse of dangerous substances should be the centerpiece of any serious effort to reverse the rising drug use trends. (1) |