E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 161 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015 No. 154 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was The statistics are disturbing. coordinate Federal efforts to help re- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- Overdoses in West Virginia increased search and respond to this debilitating pore (Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee). by 134 percent between 2012 and 2013, condition. Infants who suffer from neo- f which accounts for about 34 drug over- natal abstinence syndrome can experi- dose deaths per 100,000 West Virginia ence seizures, respiratory impairments, DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO residents. This overdose rate is more tremors, fever, and difficulty feeding. TEMPORE than double the national average. Research published by the Journal of The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- There is no magical solution to this Perinatology found that the number of fore the House the following commu- epidemic. We need local, State, and infants suffering from withdrawal grew nication from the Speaker: Federal officials to work together to nearly fivefold from 2000 to 2012. Evi- WASHINGTON, DC, effectively fight back. One of the ways dence also shows that an infant is born October 21, 2015. that we can do this is to have the Fed- with drug withdrawal every 25 minutes I hereby appoint the Honorable JOHN J. eral Government support the High In- in the United States. DUNCAN, Jr., to act as Speaker pro tempore tensity Drug Trafficking Areas pro- In West Virginia, it is estimated on this day. gram, also known as HIDTA. The that, in 1 out of every 13 births, a baby JOHN A. BOEHNER, Speaker of the House of Representatives. HIDTA program provides needed funds is addicted to drugs. This is a problem to law enforcement to combat drug that needs serious attention imme- f trafficking while also helping local diately, but this is just one crucial MORNING-HOUR DEBATE treatment and prevention efforts. step. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- I have been hosting roundtable dis- To help fight addiction, one of the ant to the order of the House of Janu- cussions across my district to hear di- latest tools available to the public in ary 6, 2015, the Chair will now recog- rectly from communities that are af- West Virginia is a new 24-hour call line nize Members from lists submitted by fected by the drug epidemic. I recently that has been launched to help people the majority and minority leaders for held one of these discussions in the battling substance and mental health morning-hour debate. town of Romney, West Virginia, in Sep- issues in West Virginia. The Chair will alternate recognition tember, to talk about the ongoing The call line is 1–844–HELP4WV. The between the parties, with each party issues they face in that community. line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a limited to 1 hour and each Member Officials at the meeting agreed that week, with the promise of never being other than the majority and minority we need to utilize all resources avail- put on hold. We must continue to work leaders and the minority whip limited able at the local, State, and Federal together to fight this epidemic. to 5 minutes, but in no event shall de- levels, and we agreed that HIDTA was f bate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. a key tool in fighting back. It was also LEGALIZING MARIJUANA f pointed out that foster parents are needed to help care for children whose The SPEAKER pro tempore. The DRUG CRISIS parents are struggling with drug addic- Chair recognizes the gentleman from The SPEAKER pro tempore. The tion issues. Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- Chair recognizes the gentleman from So you can help, too. utes. West Virginia (Mr. MOONEY) for 5 min- But addressing drug trafficking is Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, ad- utes. not the only thing that needs to be vocates from the new emerging mari- Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. done to help fight the epidemic. We juana industry in Oregon are descend- Speaker, my State of West Virginia is need to help the youngest victims of ing on Capitol Hill at a very critical experiencing a crisis. West Virginia is our shared battle with this crisis: in- time for this fledgling industry. leading the country in a rather grim fants who are born addicted. They have a report about the imple- category: drug overdoses. This issue That is why I cosponsored and voted mentation of Oregon’s Ballot Measure goes beyond party lines, and it is rip- for H.R. 1462, the Protecting Our In- 91—overwhelmingly approved by voters ping our State apart. fants Act of 2015, which passed the last year—to legalize, tax, and regulate President Obama is bringing national House unanimously and is awaiting ac- marijuana at the State level. Posses- attention to our drug crisis by coming tion in the U.S. Senate. This bill ad- sion became legal July 1. Retail sales to my district this afternoon to discuss dresses a condition called neonatal ab- were authorized in existing the prescription drug and heroin epi- stinence syndrome by helping to find dispensaries on the 1st of October to demic. the best way to diagnose, evaluate, and significant interest around the State. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H7031 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:03 Oct 22, 2015 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A21OC7.000 H21OCPT1 emcdonald on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H7032 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE October 21, 2015 The first week saw an estimated $11 in Colorado, is just stay out of the way. week, Abu Mazen is scheduled to speak million in sales. Stop interfering. Let legal marijuana at a special meeting at the U.N. Human They are working hard to implement businesses have bank accounts. Don’t Rights Council. the spirit and the letter of the meas- force them to be all cash. Let them de- You have got to be kidding: Abu ure, working closely with the Oregon duct their business expenses from their Mazen speaking at a Human Rights legislature to refine it, learning from taxes instead of penalizing them with Council. the experience of States like Wash- grotesquely punitive levels of tax. Let President Obama must hold Abu ington and Colorado that have already the States continue in their efforts at Mazen accountable instead of con- legalized adult use. reform. Let them treat it just like we tinuing to give him a pass for his ac- Theirs is a positive story of economic do alcohol. tions and show that actions have con- opportunity, product development, tax The day is fast coming when the Fed- sequences. revenues, more freedom for individuals, eral policy will be to robustly research But these aren’t the only challenges and eliminating the racial disparities and, ultimately, deschedule—or re- that Israel faces. In addition to the ter- ror inside Israel, it remains surrounded in the enforcement of a failed policy of move—marijuana from the Controlled by threats like ISIL, Iran, Syria, chal- prohibition that comes down heavily Substances Act, no longer pretending lenges that are shared by the United against young men of color, especially that it is or should be a Schedule I con- States. African Americans. trolled substance, and, instead, tax and The Iran deal is riddled with loop- At the same time, there was a scath- regulate it at the Federal level. holes, with ambiguities, and with out- ing report this week from Brookings In the meantime, the States will con- right dangerous provisions, including a Institution researchers John Hudak tinue marching forward; the public will sunset clause that paves the way for a and Grace Wallack that called out the continue to request that we, at the nuclear-armed Iran in as little as 15 roadblocks that are being put in place Federal level, stop interfering with years—just bide the time. It also in- by law enforcement and Federal poli- medical marijuana; and Congress will cludes the lifting of the arms embargo cies that stifle medical marijuana re- continue our efforts with increasingly against Iran and the lifting of sanc- search, that interfere with the science large, bipartisan majorities to make tions on Iran’s ballistic missile pro- and the doctor-patient relationship in this policy work to replace the failed gram. ways that are completely unwarranted, attempt at marijuana prohibition. In addition, the Iran deal releases bil- counterproductive, and destructive. f lions of dollars that is allowing the re- They come at a time when the Fed- gime to increase its terror financing eral Government has told the Drug En- CONGRESS AND ISRAEL MUST STAND TOGETHER and helps fulfill its destructive ambi- forcement Agency to stop harassing tions in the Middle East. medical providers after Congress clear- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The For years, Congress, not the adminis- ly passed legislation to protect the in- Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from tration, has led the charge to push dustry and, more importantly, a pa- Florida (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) for 5 min- back against Iran and to sanction it tient’s right to medicine. utes. through an effective sanctions program The Rohrabacher-Farr amendment Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN.