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Edited on Sun Nov-18-07 03:24 PM by 1corona4u
Yeah, you'd rather defend illegal drug use.....here's the reason he supported it.
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENTS for S. 2633
By Mr. BIDEN (for himself, and Mr. GRASSLEY):
S. 2633.A bill to prohibit an individual from knowingly opening, maintaining, managing, controlling, renting, leasing, making available for use, or profiting from any place for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing, or using any controlling substance, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. BIDEN. Madam President, over the past several years, I have become increasingly concerned with the trafficking and use of the newest fad drug, Ecstasy. All across the country, thousands of teenagers are treated for overdoses and Ecstasy-related health problems in emergency rooms each year. And recent statistics from the Partnership for a Drug Free America show that teen use of Ecstasy has increased 71 percent since 1999. Unless we mount a major education campaign across schools and campuses nationwide, we may not be able to counter the widespread misconception that Ecstacy is harmless, fashionable and hip.
Much of the abuse of Ecstasy and other club drugs happens at all-night dance parties known as "raves." A few months ago in the Caucus on International Narcotics Control I held a hearing to take an in-depth look at the phenomenon of these all-night dance parties and recent efforts at the Federal, State and local levels to crack down on rave promoters who allow rampant drug use at their events and do everything they can to profit from it.
It is common for rave organizers to go to great lengths to portray their events as safe so that parents will allow their kids to attend. They advertise them as alcohol-free parties and some even hire off-duty police officers to patrol outside the venue. But the truth is that many of these raves are drug dens where use of Ecstasy and other "club drugs," such as the date rape drugs Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine, is widespread.
But even as these promoters work to make parents think that their events are safe, they send a different message to kids. Their promotional flyers make clear that drugs are an integral part of the party by prominently featuring terms associated with drug use, such as the letters "E" or "X," street terms for Ecstasy, or the term "rollin," which refers to an Ecstasy high. They are, in effect, promoting Ecstasy along with the rave.
By doing so, the promoters get rich as they exploit and endanger kids. Many supplement their profits from the $10 to $50 cover charge to enter the club by selling popular Ecstasy paraphernalia such as baby pacifiers, glow sticks, or mentholated inhalers. And party organizers know that Ecstasy raises the core body temperature and makes the user extremely thirsty, so they sell bottles of water for $5 or $10 apiece. Some even shut off the water faucets so club goers will be forced to buy water or pay admission to enter an air-conditioned "cool down room."
Despite the conventional wisdom that Ecstasy and other club drugs are "no big deal," a view that even the New York Times Magazine espoused in a cover story, these drugs can have serious consequences, and can even be fatal.
After the death of a 17-year-old girl at a rave party in New Orleans in 1998, the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted an assessment of rave activity in that city which showed the close relationship between these parties and club drug overdoses. In a two year period, 52 raves were held at the New Orleans State Palace Theater, during which time approximately 400 teenagers overdosed and were treated at local emergency rooms. Following "Operation Rave Review" which resulted in the arrest of several rave promoters and closing the city's largest rave, overdoses and emergency room visits dropped by 90 percent and Ecstasy overdoses have been eliminated.
State and locals governments have begun to take important steps to crack down on rave promoters who allow their events to be used as havens for illicit drug activity. In Chicago, where Mayor Daley has shown great leadership on this issue, it is a criminal offense to knowingly maintain a place, such as a rave, where controlled substances are used or distributed. Not only the promoter, but also the building owner and building manager can be charged under Mayor Daley's law. The State of Florida has a similar statute making such activity a felony.
And in Modesto, California, police officers are offering "rave training classes" to parents to educate them about the danger of raves and the club drugs associated with them.
And at the Federal level, there have been four cases in which Federal prosecutors have used the so called "crack house statute" or other Federal charges to go after rave promoters. These cases, in Little Rock, AR, Boise, ID, Panama City, FL, and New Orleans, LA, have had mixed results, culminating in two wins, a loss and a draw, suggesting that there may be a need to tailor this Federal statute more precisely to the problem at hand. Today I am proposing legislation, Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act, or the "RAVE" Act, which will do just that. I am pleased to have Senator Grassley as the lead cosponsor.
The bill tailors the crack house statute to address rave promoters' actions more specifically so that Federal prosecutors will be able to use it to prosecute individuals who allow rampant drug use at their events and seek to profit from putting kids at risk. The legislation also addresses the low penalties for trafficking gamma hydroxybutyric acid, GHB, by directing the United States Sentencing Commission to examine the current penalties and consider increasing them to reflect the seriousness of offenses involving GHB.
But the answer to the problem of drug use at raves is not simply to prosecute irresponsible rave promoters and those who distribute drugs. There is also a responsibility to raise awareness among parents, teachers, students, coaches, religious leaders, etc. about the dangers of the drugs used and sold at raves. The RAVE Act directs funds to the DEA for that purpose. Further, the bill authorizes nearly $6 million for the DEA to hire a Demand Reduction Coordinator in each state who can work with communities following the arrest of a significant local trafficker to reduce the demand for drugs through prevention and treatment programs.
It is the unfortunate truth that most raves are havens for illicit drugs. Enacting the RAVE Act will help to prosecute the promoters who seek to profit from exploiting and endangering young lives and will take steps to educate youth, parents and other interested adults about the dangers of Ecstasy and other club drugs associated with raves.
I hope that my colleagues will join me and support this legislation.
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Whatfreakingever....
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