Statements On Introduced Bills And Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, in 1997 then-Senator Biden and I sponsored legislation to create the Drug Free Communities, DFC, grant program. At the time, I believed, as I still do today, that one of the most effective ways the Federal Government can prevent drug abuse from flourishing is by supporting local community efforts to identify, prevent and eradicate the sources of abuse. Since the passage of the Drug Free Communities Act, hundreds of community anti-drug coalitions have received Federal grants to further their efforts to halt the spread of drug abuse in their communities.

Despite the successes of the DFC program, drug abuse continues to challenge our communities. More often than not, a community can rise up to meet this challenge head on and confront the abuse before it spreads. However, drug abuse is one challenge that can emerge in rapid fashion. In difficult economic times when States and communities struggle to stay within their budgets without eliminating vital services, it is important that community anti-drug coalitions do not suffer from a lack of resources. This is why I am pleased to join my colleague, Senator Leahy, in introducing the Drug Free Communities Enhancement Act, DFCEA, of 2010.

This legislation builds off the successful DFC grant program by allowing community coalitions to form a strategy that best fits their community to confront a sudden or emerging drug threat without Federal interference. The DFCEA authorizes $5 million to the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award supplemental grants of up to $75,000 to current and past DFC grantees to address an emerging drug issue or crisis. The grantee would be eligible to receive these supplemental grants for up to a 4 year period if they document, using local data, rates of drug abuse higher than the national average.

In my home State of Iowa, communities face unique challenges in confronting drug abuse. In Polk County, the home of the State capitol of Des Moines, 37 percent of 11th graders admitted to using marijuana in the 2008 Iowa Youth Survey. This is significantly higher than the statewide average of 27 percent from the same survey. This number is also 4 percent higher than the national average according to the 2009 Monitoring the Future survey of 12th graders. In Black Hawk County, the home of Waterloo and Cedar Falls, 8 percent of 11th graders admitted to using over-the-counter cold medicines to get high according to the Iowa Youth Survey. This is higher than the 6 percent of the Nation's 12th graders who admitted to cold medicine abuse in the Monitoring the Future survey. Communities like these would benefit under the DFCEA, because they would be able to apply for a supplemental grant to put a strategy into action to reduce these use rates.

Community coalitions represent the front lines in the fight against drug abuse. The DFCEA will help to ensure that community coalitions will remain strong and vibrant no matter the economic or drug trend situation in the community. Drug abuse flourishes when the problem is ignored. If we are to overcome the challenges of drug abuse we must stand untied in the effort. I urge my colleagues to join us as we continue this fight to keep our communities drug free.

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