Where Bob Dole Stands on Drugs

Bill Clinton Has Surrendered the War on Drugs
With Bill Clinton's lack of leadership, there are about 1 million more youths involved in drugs than before he became President. Clinton has nearly surrendered the War on Drugs:

• Days after taking office, Clinton reduced the staff of the Drug Czar's Office from 146 people to just 25. Then he cut their budget by 90 percent.
• Within his first year, the National Security Council "dropped the drug war from one of three top priorities to No. 29 on a list of 29." (Star Tribune, February 14, 1993)
• His former Surgeon General thought the best way to combat drug use was to legalize them.

Even members of Clinton's own party agree that Clinton has given up the battle. "Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, said, "I've been in Congress for over two decades, and I have never, never, never seen a president who cares less about this issue."

Teen Drug Use is Skyrocketing
The results of this "Just Say Nothing" approach is horrifying:

• Marijuana use soared 141 percent from 1992 to 1995 among America's youth.
• Cocaine use by young people rose 166 percent from 1994 to 1995.
• Heroin-related overdoses increased to record levels, jumping from 48,003 in 1992 to 76,023 in 1995.
• Methamphetamine-related deaths have increased nationally by 145 percent over the past two years.

A Dole-Kemp Administration Will Cut Teen Drug Use in Half by 2000
Bob Dole and Jack Kemp understand that drug use is a national problem that cannot be solved by the federal government alone. The federal government must work in partnership with state and local governments. As President, Bob Dole will:

• Use the Bully Pulpit of the Presidency to teach America's youth that drug use is wrong and life-threatening. He has already kicked off this campaign by speaking out against drugs and unveiling his "Just Don't Do It" motto.
• Spearhead the creation of 1,000 new community-based antidrug coalitions, using federal seed money where necessary
• Encourage the movie, television, and music industries to embrace a no-use, zero-tolerance message in the products they create for America's youth.
• Ensure adequate funding and staffing for the Drug Czar's Office and give the drug Czar the tools and authority he or she needs to get the job done.
• Develop a National Drug Strategy that establishes a set of concrete, measurable goals, including a 50% reduction in teen drug use by the end of Dole's first term.
• Ensure that the funding for the Republican Safe- and Drug-Free Schools Program is used for its intended purpose - no-use drug prevention - and not diverted to unproven social programs.
• Enhance the antidrug role of the National Guard, including the creation of a Southwest Border Counter Drug Task Force, the reinvigoration of the National Guard's marijuana eradication campaign, and the authorization of the National Guard to provide "meth lab" cleanups.
• Reform the federal treatment bureaucracy and promote effective drug treatment programs. Model programs include the nationwide "Teen Challenge" program based in Arizona.
• Require drug testing at all stages of the federal criminal justice system.
• Empower low-income families to move out of drug-infested areas
  by giving them housing vouchers.
• Encourage states to establish pilot drug-testing programs for welfare beneficiaries who may use government assistance to subsidize a drug habit.
• Work to greenline distressed communities and encourage businesses and residents to reclaim their neighborhoods by providing incentives for entrepreneurship and work.