U.S. Congressman Steve King
Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me time and for
the privilege to address this issue.
Mr. Chairman, we have heard from the other Member from Iowa (Mr.
Latham) that the
Food and Drug Administration has classified marijuana, along with heroin, LSD, methamphetamine,
hashish and a number of other drugs, as Schedule I drugs. That is because they carry
a high potential for dangerous abuse.
And so doctors in most States even prohibit them for being prescribed for medicinal
purposes. That is a standard. That is the national standard. The issue was raised
about States' rights. But no one has raised the issue about States' rights about
the other drugs that are Schedule I drugs.
But we do have a right, a constitutional right and an obligation to regulate drugs
in America. The question really is, is marijuana among them? And it is. And so we
would be seeking to, by this amendment, usurp that decision and change that standard.
But with regard to the addictive nature of marijuana, I am looking at a study here
that says that if adults started at a fairly young age, say by the time of 26 or
older, they used marijuana before the age of 15, 62 percent reported a lifetime
cocaine use, 9 permanent reported lifetime heroin use, and 54 percent reported nonmedical
use of psychotherapeutics. And this does not include methamphetamines, which is
abused more than any of these drugs that I mentioned here.
So this is a high use issue. It is also something that infringes upon or inhibits
our ability and our reflexes with regard to driving. So, for example, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that marijuana use has been shown
to impair driving performance. These things we know.
Then with regard to the gentleman from California's statements about he could not,
that Mr. Nofziger could not get himself to eat, if that is our issue, then let us
focus on the synthetic THC that is now available. It is available in a drug by the
name of Marinol, and it has been proven to be effective, especially dealing with
cancer patients and with the nausea associated with the chemotherapy treatments
and also with the appetite, that might help assisting the appetite with AIDS patients.
There is a way that we can use the THC, and there is a way also that we can protect
this country against that kind of Schedule I drug.
Mr. Chairman, I urge a "no" vote on the amendment.
|
In March 1999, the Institute of Medicine issued a report on various aspects of marijuana,
including the so-called, Gateway Theory (the theory that using marijuana leads people
to use harder drugs like cocaine and heroin). The IOM stated, "There is no conclusive
evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent
abuse of other illicit drugs." |
|
Source: Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A Benson, Jr., Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Division
of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, Institute of Medicine (Washington, DC:
National Academy Press, 1999). |
|
The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on marijuana explained that marijuana has
been mistaken for a gateway drug in the past because, "Patterns in progression of
drug use from adolescence to adulthood are strikingly regular. Because it is the
most widely used illicit drug, marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug most
people encounter. Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used
marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and nicotine before
marijuana? usually before they are of legal age." |
|
Source: Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A Benson, Jr., Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, Division
of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, Institute of Medicine (Washington, DC:
National Academy Press, 1999). |
Washington, D.C.
1432 Longworth Office
Building Washington,
D.C. 20515
Phone: 202.225.4426
Fax: 202.225.3193
|
Council Bluffs
40 Pearl St.
Council Bluffs,
IA 51503
Phone: 712.325.1404
Fax: 712.325.1405 |
Creston
208 W Taylor Street
P.O. Box 601,
Creston, IA 50801
Phone: 641.782.2495
Fax: 641.782.2497 |
Sioux City
526 Nebraska Street
Sioux City,
IA 51101
Phone: 712.224.4692
Fax: 712.224.4693 |
Spencer
306 N Grand Avenue
P.O. Box 650
Spencer, IA 51301
Phone: 712.580.7754
Fax: 712.580.3354 |
Storm Lake
800 Oneida St., Suite A
Storm Lake
Iowa 50588
Phone: 712.732.4197
Fax: 712.732.4217 |