Quotes from the Floor

Quotes from the Floor

(from June 1995 Marijuana Policy Report)

The MPP monitors the Congressional Record — the government-published transcripts of all proceedings and debates on the floors of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives — to catalog all mentions of "marijuana" and "drugs."

The following is a sampling of various pertinent or otherwise interesting marijuana-related references in the 104th Congress thus far:

January 26 — Senator Paul Simon (D-Illinois) discussed his recent survey of prison wardens:

"... 92 percent of the wardens said we should make greater use of alternatives to incarceration, such as ... residential drug treatment programs. Fifty-eight percent said they opposed the politically popular mandatory minimum sentences."

February 7 — In arguing against "reforming" the exclusionary rule to allow evidence illegally obtained by police to be admissable in a court of law, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) explained that checks of police power — such as the exclusionary rule — are needed, offering the following personal account:

"[In 1969] my apartment was also raided illegally. ... [Chicago police] did find a bag of what they identified at the time, a bag of marijuana in my apartment. [Later] they found that that bag they called marijuana was nothing more than bird seed."

February 28 — Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-New York) explained, "I recognize that there is no one solution to the problem and that we need to have several types of treatment programs ... to begin to come up with some solutions to the drug addiction problem.

"It costs a lot of money to keep a person in prison, when we could spend the money to ... assist them in terms of counseling. ..."

March 3 — Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio) argued to end economic assistance to Trinidad and Tobago until the Caribbean island-nations more agressively battle drug traffickers:

"[There is] widespread corruption among police officers, including the involvement of several officers with local and international drug rings.

"Drug trafficking is causing crime to rise. It is causing violence to rise."

[The MPP wonders: Has Rep. Traficant considered that corruption, crime, and violence are caused by prohibition itself? -ed.]

March 6 — Rep. Bill Zeliff (R-New Hampshire) announced his March 9 subcommittee hearing on "America's Renewed War on Drugs" (see page 6 of April 1995 Marijuana Policy Report):

"Sadly, there is a growing consensus that our current approach is failing," he lamented. "If we accept casual use of drugs, then we are going to accept things, the former Surgeon General was starting to talk about legalization, and we are going downhill from there."

Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-New York) chimed in to exaggerate the cost of drug abuse — "over $500 billion in lost productivity, absenteeism, and all sorts of problems" — and to offer his proposed solution: "beef up enforcement."

Rep. Robert Ehrlich (R-Maryland) added, "The casual user really needs to be the focal point of our efforts here on the floor of this House."

Rep. John Mica (R-Florida) proclaimed that "the biggest social and crime problem is drugs and drug abuse and drug use."

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Indiana) observed that "in every store with rock music ... you have the marijuana sign, the marijuana drug, an acceptance in the culture, and we need to focus on changing the moral authority ... of this country."

March 14 — Rep. Traficant criticized Mexico for their failure to prevent drug exportation and lambasted Clinton for commending Mexico's anti-drug efforts:

"I think NAFTA ... now should be known as the 'Narcotics Anonymous Federal Treatment Administration,' and believe me, we need it."

March 22 — Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-New York) asserted that "enforcement efforts against users should not be curtailed, but instead reinforced. [I]ncarceration is the first step in identifying and eventually treating chronic drug abusers."

March 24 — Rep. Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) spoke in favor of H.R. 791 — his bill to eliminate disability payments for drug addicts and alcoholics:

"... hard working taxpayers are required to subsidize addicts. Under the Personal Responsibility Act ... the total savings to taxpayers is $1.7 billion over 5 years."

(The MPP estimates that regulating and taxing marijuana would generate more than $60 billion over 5 years.)

April 5 — Sen. Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina) spoke in favor of S. 681, his bill to sanction Colombia:

"Colombia's cultivation and export of marijuana is increasing. [We must take] strong measures against a Government that allows the poisoning of our children. ..."

[What about the tobacco companies with which Helms is strongly allied? -ed.]