For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 10, 2001
Remarks by the President in Announcement of the Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy
The Rose Garden
Listen to the President's Remarks
9:57 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all so
very much for being here. It's an honor to see so many
members of the United States Congress who are here. Thank you so very
much for coming -- and members from both political parties, members who
are dedicated to joining with an administration which is dedicated to
reducing drug abuse around America. Thank you for being
here. (Applause.)
I'm pleased that members of my Cabinet have
joined us -- the Attorney General of the United States, John Ashcroft;
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy
Thompson. Thank you all for being
here. (Applause.) Mr. Surgeon General, thank you for being
here, as well, sir. We're honored to have you
here. (Applause.)
Also with us is John J. Dilulio, who is the
Director of the Office of Faith-based and Community
Initiatives. John is on the leading edge of encouraging
faith-based programs to become energized to help people who need
help. And, John, thank you so much for being here, as well.
(Applause.)
I'm honored to be joined on stage by five
Americans -- well, six Americans -- five Americans who won't
speak. (Laughter.) Which is saying something for
the first American I'm going to introduce, William J.
Bennett. (Laughter and applause.) He was our
nation's first Drug Czar, former Secretary of Education, a fearless --
fearless -- fighter against drug abuse. As well, as Joe A.
Califano, who has a Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University, former Secretary of Health and Education and Welfare under
President Jimmy Carter, as well, like Mr. Bennett, a fearless advocate
for those of us who are dedicated to reducing drug
abuse. Thank you both for being here. (Applause.)
And we have three members from the community
-- antidrug community -- who have joined us. Arthur R. Dean
is the Chairman and CEO of the Community Antidrug Coalitions of
America. Thank you so much for coming. I
appreciate you being here. (Applause.) Jessica
Hulsey is a member of the Drug-Free Community's Advisory
Commission. Thank you, Jessica. (Applause.) And
Henry Lozano, Californians for Drug-free Youth, a member of the DFCAC,
a graduate from Teen Challenge. (Applause.)
I'm pleased to announce that as of today, the
federal government is waging an all-out effort to reduce illegal drug
use in America. (Applause.) And I'm proud to nominate John
P. Walters as my Director of National Drug Control Policy, where he
will serve as a valuable member of my Cabinet. (Applause.)
Mr. Walters has had a distinguished career in
government. He served as the chief of staff to Bill Bennett,
and later served as Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Office
of National Control Policy. John will bring tremendous
skill, knowledge and good judgment to this job. He's an
articulate advocate, an able administrator, and a man of deep and
reasoned convictions. He has repeatedly been called on to
provide guidance to the United States Congress. John cares
passionately about this issue and he is the right person to lead
America's antidrug efforts.
Our effort rests on the firm belief that by
focusing more of our nation's attention, energy and resources, real
progress will be made. From the early 1980s until the early
1990s, drug use amongst high school seniors was reduced every
year. We had made tremendous strides in cutting drug
use. This cannot be said today. We must do, and
we will do, a better job. (Applause.)
Fortunately, today we know more about what
works in prevention and education, treatment and law
enforcement. We will put this knowledge to
use. But above all, our efforts rest on an unwavering
commitment to stop drug use. Acceptance of drug use is
simply not an option for this administration.
Illegal drugs impose a staggering cost of more
than $100 billion every year, principally from lost
productivity. Yet this dollar figure does not capture the
human tragedy of drug use -- lost lives, educational and job
opportunities unmet, families torn apart, health care costs, school
dropout rates, and more. Drug use harms people of every
economic class. But drug use is doing the most damage to the
poor.
John Jacob, former President of the National
Urban League, has said that drugs are destroying more children and more
families than poverty ever did. John Walters and I believe
the only humane and compassionate response to drug use is a moral
refusal to accept it.
We emphatically disagree with those who favor
drug legalization. (Applause.) Drug legalization would be a
social catastrophe. Drug use and addiction would
soar. Hospitals would be filled with many more drug
emergency cases. Child abuse would increase. The
cost of treatment and social welfare would rise. There would
be more drug-related accidents at work and on the road. And
legalizing drugs would completely undermine the message that drug use
is wrong.
A successful antidrug effort depends on a
thoughtful and integrated approach. Mr. Walters understands
this as well as anybody in America. During his career, he's worked to
improve the effectiveness of drug education and prevention
programs. He played a key role in ensuring a record
commitment of resources to drug treatment and research in a previous
administration. He helped ensure that the federal government
did its part in source countries, on our borders and on our streets.
My administration will continue to work with
nations to eradicate drugs at their source, and enforce our borders to
stop the flow of drugs into America. This will make working
in close cooperation with Mexico a priority. It will make
having strong relations in our hemisphere a priority, a priority which
I will keep. (Applause.)
However, the most effective way to reduce the
supply of drugs in America is to reduce the demand for drugs in
America. (Applause.) Therefore, this administration will
focus unprecedented attention on the demand side of this
problem. We recognize that the most important work to reduce
drug use is done in America's living rooms and classrooms, in churches
and synagogues and mosques, in the workplace, and in our
neighborhoods. (Applause.)
Families, schools, communities, and
faith-based organizations shape the character of young
people. They teach children right from wrong, respect for
law, respect for others, and respect for themselves. They're
indispensable. And my administration stands ready to assist
them in every possible way. Joe Califano is
the President of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse,
and a man whose research has helped shape my thinking. Joe has said
that teens of parents who eat, talk, pray and play together are not
likely to be lured into the world of drugs. A child who
reaches age 21 without using illegal drugs is virtually certain never
to do so. And children cite parents as the number one reason they
don't use drugs.
And so we'll energize the parents movement by
creating a parent drug corps, which will provide needed support to
educate and train parents in effective drug
prevention. (Applause.) We must increase funding
for drug-free communities programs, and for the drug-free workplace
program. (Applause.) And within 30 days, Professor John
Dilulio will compile a complete inventory of existing federal antidrug
partnerships with local faith-based and community groups, and work with
John Walters to strengthen those efforts.
Despite every effort, however, some
individuals will become addicted to drugs. There are around
5 million hardcore users of illegal drugs in America
today. And while they represent one-third of the drug users,
they consume two-thirds of all drugs. It is estimated that
more than half of them are not receiving any treatment.
I am, therefore, asking Secretary Tommy
Thompson to conduct a state-by-state inventory of treatment needs and
capacity, and report back within 120 days on how to most effectively
close the treatment gap in this
country. (Applause.) In order to close that
treatment gap, we will provide $1.6 billion over the next five years.
We want to advance our understanding of drug
abuse and addiction, so we're planning to significantly increase
funding for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (Applause.) We
also recognize the benefits of coerced abstinence, and so we will
support drug courts and drug testing for prisoners, probationers and
parolees. (Applause.)
We know that inmates receiving drug treatment
are 73 percent less likely to be re-arrested, and 44 percent less
likely to use drugs than those who receive no treatment at
all. I'm, therefore, asking the Attorney General, John
Ashcroft, to come up with a comprehensive plan within 120 days to
ensure our federal prisons are drug-free, to expand drug testing for
probationers and parolees, and to strengthen our system of drug courts
around the nation. (Applause.)
We must reduce drug use for one great moral
reason -- over time drugs rob men, women and children of their dignity
and of their character. Illegal drugs are the enemies of innocence and
ambition and hope. They undermine people's commitment to
their family and to their fellow citizens. My administration will send
a clear and consistent message that drug use is dangerous and drug use
is wrong. (Applause.)
John Walters will lead that effort with firm
resolve and a caring heart. He will do an exceptional
job. I am proud to submit his name to the United States
Senate, and I look forward to working with members of the House and the
Senate from both political parties to reduce drug use in
America. (Applause.)
I'm honored to welcome so many people who
devote their lives to the well-being of others to the Rose Garden here
in the White House. I want to God bless -- thank you for
your work, and ask God's blessings on your work and this great nation
of ours.
It's my honor to welcome John
Walters. (Applause.)
MR. WALTERS: Thank you, Mr.
President, for honoring me with this nomination. I look
forward to the confirmation process in the Senate, and the opportunity
to work with Congress again in reducing the problem of illegal drug
use.
As the President has mentioned, our country
has made great progress in the past in reducing drug use, and we will
do it again. We will especially protect our children from
drug use. We will help the addicted find effective treatment
and remain in recovery. We will shield our communities from
the terrible human toll taken by illegal drugs. We will stop
illegal drug use and the drug trade from funding threats to democratic
institutions throughout our hemisphere.
Most of all, Mr. President, as you have stated
so clearly, and as symbolized by those us here today who represent --
with us here today who represent millions of Americans working
effectively every day to reduce drug use, addiction and crime, our
efforts rest on the knowledge that when we push back, the drug problem
gets smaller. This fact is beyond question today, even if it
is not always beyond denial.
Mr. President, thank you for nominating me to
be Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, at this
important time. If the Senate permits, it will be my
privilege to support the outstanding individuals represented here, who
work every day to combat the drug problem throughout our nation.
Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for
coming.
END 10:12
A.M. EDT
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