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U.S. Sen. Grassley: Biden, Grassley Mark the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 35th Anniversary
7/8/2008

For Immediate Release:
July 8, 2008

Contact:
Casey Mills (Grassley) 202-224-3744
Danielle Borrin (Biden) 202-224-5042

Biden, Grassley Mark the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 35th Anniversary

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) yesterday introduced a Senate resolution congratulating the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on its 35-year anniversary of fighting the scourge of illegal drugs. The resolution honors the men and women who have been injured or given their lives in service of the DEA and it pays tribute to all the members, current and past, who work vigorously to keep illegal drugs off the streets.

“Thirty-five years ago, the Drug Enforcement Administration began the hard work of keeping our streets and neighborhoods safe and drug-free. Today, the DEA continues to serve as the driving force behind U.S. drug control policy,” said Sen. Biden, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs who wrote the law that established the Office of the Drug Czar. “It’s an honor for me to mark the DEA’s 35th anniversary, and I salute all the men and women who work to continue the agency’s tradition of excellence in disrupting the flow and availability of drugs in our country.”

“The men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration are on the frontlines of fighting crime and drugs on our streets in order to provide safer communities for our children and the generations to come,” Sen. Grassley said, who also serves on the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs. “This resolution recognizes their selfless and tireless work over the past four decades.”

Sens. Biden and Grassley have long lead the fight against illegal drugs and substance abuse. Alarmed by the rising abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs across America, Sens. Biden and Grassley recently passed Senate resolutions (S.Res.225, S.Res.434, S.Res.534) and wrote opinion pieces educating parents, teens, and communities about the serious dangers that medicine abuse and illegal drugs pose. In addition, Sens. Biden and Grassley introduced legislation (S.2274) to curb the rising abuse of the active ingredient, Dextromethorphan (DXM), found in many cough and cold medicines, which are increasingly being abused for the purpose of getting high. The bill would ban the unregulated sale of bulk DXM, giving the DEA the authority to track and investigate illegal sales, and it would impose purchase restrictions on DXM-containing products. The legislation would also robustly fund prevention activities focused on prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse.

Sens. Biden and Grassley also serve as Chairman and Co-Chairman, respectively, of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.


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