PROS AND CONS OF DRUG LEGALIZATION, DECRIMINALIZATION, AND ... - govinfo

PROS AND CONS OF DRUG LEGALIZATION, DECRIMINALIZATION, AND HARM REDUCTION

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, DRUG POLICY, AND HUMAN RESOURCES

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

(

Available via the World Wide Web:

63?346 CC

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 2000

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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM

DAN BURTON, Indiana, Chairman

BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York CONSTANCE A. MORELLA, Maryland CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York STEPHEN HORN, California JOHN L. MICA, Florida THOMAS M. DAVIS, Virginia DAVID M. MCINTOSH, Indiana MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana JOE SCARBOROUGH, Florida STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio MARSHALL ``MARK'' SANFORD, South

Carolina 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 TOM LANTOS, California ROBERT E. WISE, JR., West Virginia MAJOR R. OWENS, New York EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania 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 DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts JIM TURNER, Texas 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

CARLA J. MARTIN, Chief Clerk PHIL SCHILIRO, Minority Staff Director

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, DRUG POLICY, AND HUMAN RESOURCES

JOHN L. MICA, Florida, Chairman

BOB BARR, Georgia BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio ASA HUTCHINSON, Arkansas DOUG OSE, California

PATSY T. MINK, Hawaii EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, Illinois JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts JIM TURNER, Texas

EX OFFICIO

DAN BURTON, Indiana

HENRY A. WAXMAN, California

ROBERT B. CHARLES, Staff Director and Chief Counsel SEAN LITTLEFIELD, Professional Staff Member GILBERT MACKLIN, Professional Staff Member AMY DAVENPORT, Clerk CHERRI BRANSON, Minority Counsel

(II)

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C O N T E N T S

Page

Hearing held on June 16, 1999 ............................................................................... 1 Statement of:

Leshner, Alan, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse; and Donnie Marshall, Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration ..... 104

McCaffrey, General Barry R., Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy .............................................................................................................. 30

McDonough, James, director, Office of Drug Control Policy, State of Florida; 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 .................................................... 149

Letters, statements, et cetera, submitted for the record by: Boaz, David, executive vice president, Cato Institute, prepared statement of ..................................................................................................................... 223 Ehlers, Scott, senior policy analyst, Drug Policy Foundation, prepared statement of ................................................................................................... 177 Gilman, Hon. Benjamin A., a Representative in Congress from the State of New York, Tom Constantine's paper ....................................................... 11 Glasser, Ira, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union: Article dated December 29, 1997 ............................................................. 284 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 167 Report entitled, ``Narrow Pathways to Prison: The Selective Incarceration of Repeat Drug Offenders in New York State'' .......................... 251 Kucinich, Hon. Dennis J., a Representative in Congress from the State of Ohio, prepared statement of Kevin Sabbitt ............................................ 5 Leshner, Alan, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, prepared statement of ................................................................................................... 107 Maginnis, Robert L., senior director, Family Research Council, prepared statement of ................................................................................................... 200 Marshall, Donnie, Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration, prepared statement of .......................................................................... 120 McCaffrey, General Barry R., Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy, prepared statement of ...................................................................... 33 McDonough, James, director, Office of Drug Control Policy, State of Florida, prepared statement of ........................................................................... 151 Mica, Hon. John L., a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida: ........................................................................................................... Article entitled, ``High on a Lie'' .............................................................. 293 Information concerning crack smokers directions .................................. 289 Letter dated April 15, 1997 ...................................................................... 296 Towns, Hon. Edolphus, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York, prepared statement of ........................................................... 98

(III)

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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)

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