The President’s Drug Plan : EXCERPTS: For Drug Kingpins, the Death Penalty

Here are excerpts from the text of President Bush’s speech Tuesday night announcing a $7.9-billion war on drugs:

This is the first time since taking the oath of office that I felt an issue was so important, so threatening, that it warranted talking directly with you, the American people . . . .

Drugs have strained our faith in our system of justice. Our courts, our prisons, our legal system are stretched to the breaking point. The social costs of drugs are mounting . . . .

Who’s responsible? . . . Everyone who uses drugs. Everyone who sells drugs. And everyone who looks the other way . . . .

In 1985, the government estimated that 23 million Americans were using drugs on a “current” basis--that is, at least once in the preceding month.

Last year, that number fell by more than a third. That means almost 9 million fewer Americans are casual drug users . . . . Because we changed our national attitude toward drugs, casual drug use has declined.

Also Bad News

. . . There is also bad news--very bad news. Roughly 8 million people have used cocaine in the past year, almost 1 million of them used it frequently once a week or more.

. . . To win that war against addictive drugs like crack will take more than just a federal strategy. It will take a national strategy, one that reaches into every school, every workplace, involving every family.

Earlier today, I sent . . . our first such national strategy to the Congress . . . . Tonight, I’m announcing a strategy that reflects the coordinated, cooperative commitment of all federal agencies . . . . Our weapons in this strategy are: the law and criminal justice system, our foreign policy, our treatment systems, and our schools and drug prevention programs.

. . . Let me address four of the major elements of our strategy.

First, we are determined to enforce the law, to make our streets and neighborhoods safe. So to start, I’m proposing that we more than double federal assistance to state and local law enforcement.

. . . I am also proposing that we enlarge our criminal justice system across the board--at the local, state and federal levels alike. We need more prisons, more jails, more courts, more prosecutors . . . . I’m requesting--altogether--an almost $1.5-billion increase in drug-related federal spending on law enforcement.

And while illegal drug use is found in every community, nowhere is it worse than in our public housing projects . . . . That is why I’m targeting $50 million to fight crime in public housing projects--to help restore order, and to kick out the dealers for good.

Beyond Our Borders

The second element of our strategy looks beyond our borders . . . . In Colombia alone, cocaine killers have gunned down a leading statesman, murdered almost 200 judges and seven members of their Supreme Court . . . .

But you and I agree with the courageous president of Colombia, Virgilio Barco (Vargas), who said that if Americans use cocaine, then Americans are paying for murder . . . . The $65-million emergency assistance announced two weeks ago was just our first step in assisting the Andean nations in their fight against the cocaine cartels . . . .

Our strategy allocates more than a quarter of a billion dollars for next year in military and law enforcement assistance for . . . Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. This will be the first part of a five-year, $2-billion program to counter the producers, the traffickers and the smugglers.

I spoke with President Barco last week, and we hope to meet with the leaders of affected countries in an unprecedented drug summit . . . . I’m also asking the Senate to ratify the U.N. Anti-Drug Convention concluded last December.

To stop these drugs on the way to America, I propose that we spend more than $1.5 billion on interdiction.

Our message to the drug cartels is this: The rules have changed. We will help any government that wants our help. When requested, we will for the first time make available the appropriate resources of America’s armed forces. We will intensify our efforts against drug smugglers on the high seas, in international airspace and at our borders.

We will stop the flow of chemicals from the United States used to process drugs. We will pursue and enforce international agreements to track drug money to the front men and financiers.

And then we will handcuff these money launderers, and jail them--just like any street dealers. And for drug kingpins, the death penalty.

Drug Treatment Funds

The third part of our strategy concerns drug treatment. Experts believe that there are 2 million American drug users who may be able to get off drugs with proper treatment. But right now, only 40% of them are actually getting help . . . . I’m proposing an increase of $321 million in federal spending on drug treatment . . . .

Fourth, we must stop illegal drug use before it starts . . . . I am proposing a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar increase in federal funds for school and community prevention programs that help young people and adults reject enticements to try drugs . . . . Every school, college and university--and every workplace--must adopt tough but fair policies about drug use by students and employees. Those that will not adopt such policies will not get federal funds. Period.

. . . As you can tell, such an approach will not come cheaply. Last February, I asked for a $700-million increase in the drug budget for the coming year. Over the past six months of careful study, we have found an immediate need for another $1.5 billion. With this added $2.2 billion, our 1990 drug budget totals almost $8 billion--the largest increase in history.

. . . The next fiscal year begins just 26 days from now. So tonight, I’m asking the Congress . . . to help us move it forward immediately.

We can pay for this fight against drugs without raising taxes or adding to the budget deficit . . . . To start, Congress needs not only to act on this national drug strategy, but also to act on our crime package announced last May; a package to toughen sentences, to beef up law enforcement and build new prison space for 24,000 inmates . . . . The states need to match tougher federal laws with tougher laws of their own--stiffer bail, probation, parole and sentencing.

And we need your help. If people you know are users, help them get off drugs. If you are a parent, talk to your children about drugs . . . . If we fight this war as a divided nation, then the war is lost. But if we face this evil as a nation united, this will be nothing but a handful of useless chemicals.

Victory. Victory over drugs is our cause, a just cause, and with your help, we are going to win.