| There are always certain images that come to mind | | | | war? The DoD must protect its ranks and is doing so |
| when I recall the Vietnam War and my part in it | | | | effectively. U.S. military personnel may unwittingly be |
| serving in the U.S. Navy. The 1971 song by The | | | | supporting our enemies by buying, using and |
| Doors, "Riders on the Storm," fills my head. We were | | | | transporting drugs. That cannot be tolerated. There |
| preparing for another WestPac tour, and with that | | | | are no excuses. |
| come memories of smoking marijuana and drinking | | | | The military has instituted more sensitive drug |
| beer. A rather large percentage of the men in my | | | | testing, which detect a variety of illegal drugs. Drugs |
| division smoked grass, and often got high while on | | | | like ecstasy are of particular concern, because it's |
| duty. | | | | readily available. In 2000, for example, the military |
| I share this with you because I saw video of our | | | | discharged approximately 1000 people for ecstasy |
| soldiers walking through poppy fields in Afghanistan | | | | use. Newer tests are being developed to expand the |
| and could not help but wonder how big the problem | | | | "window of detection" for this drug and others, to |
| is now. The military knew it had a bad situation in | | | | detect traces of the drug in the urine for longer |
| Vietnam, and in the post-war years made great | | | | periods after use. |
| strides in curbing the problem. Consider this-- about | | | | Still, according to the DoD, marijuana continues to be |
| 25% of servicemen and women back in the early | | | | the most heavily used illegal drug in the military. |
| 1980's had used illegal drugs. By the end of the | | | | Chronic use of marijuana leads to long-term effects |
| 1990's, it had dropped to 3%. | | | | on the brain, such as memory loss and learning |
| The Department of Defense (DoD), according to the | | | | deficits. It's not a soft drug, it's a dangerous threat. |
| American Forces Press Service, had looked at the | | | | Exhaustive testing procedures are followed to insure |
| two major aspects of the problem-supply and | | | | that accurate results are attained, and it is getting |
| demand. To reduce the demand for drugs, the | | | | increasingly more difficult to "beat" the test, despite |
| military ramped up its educational and deterrence | | | | a seemingly endless list of things to do to mask the |
| efforts. Understand that the military, unlike society in | | | | drugs. |
| general, has a huge hammer to drop when its | | | | The military has a zero-tolerance policy for its |
| personnel are involved with drugs. Rather than | | | | personnel. In American society people think this is |
| prosecuting someone in court, they discharge them. | | | | harsh, but for the military it is an absolute necessity |
| For those who do not want to leave the military, it's | | | | for so many reasons. Our armed forces have an |
| an effective deterrent. | | | | enormous responsibility, and anyone who has a sense |
| The DoD also is active in trying to prevent the flow | | | | of recent history can understand that there is no |
| of illegal drugs into the country. Where are the drugs | | | | place in the military for drug use. Our troops in |
| coming from? How are they coming into the | | | | Afghanistan and Iraq are in harms way, so any |
| country? Getting back to the image of our soldiers in | | | | impairment of their ability to carry out their mission is |
| the poppy fields, know that Afghanistan is one of | | | | deadly. |
| the world's leading suppliers of opium. From opium | | | | The video of the solider in the poppy fields just |
| comes morphine and heroin. The opium from | | | | reminds me of how large the drug problem is. Supply |
| Afghanistan, in most cases, is shipped through | | | | and demand are keys to understanding our drug |
| Europe, as narcotic traffickers use a pipeline to ship | | | | problem at home. Education in the home, in churches |
| and sell opium, and that pipeline is also used to | | | | and synagogues, in the schools and in the workplace |
| smuggle illegal aliens, weapons and money for | | | | are vital components in preventing illegal drug use. As |
| financing terrorism. | | | | for deterrents, we can't discharge personnel; we |
| If you thought out the logic of illegal drug use to an | | | | can't lock everybody up; so fighting the cow after it |
| extreme, you could probably at some point find a | | | | has left the barn is extremely difficult. |
| case for asserting that drug use was an act of | | | | One line from "Riders on the Storm" talks about a |
| treason. But consider one point-if I wanted to | | | | "killer on the road" and for us that killer is illegal drug |
| destroy a country, is it easier and cheaper to do it | | | | use, drug abuse and alcohol abuse. It's everybody's |
| by destroying that country's youth through drug | | | | problem. It's a war and we're all in it. |
| addiction, or is it more effective to wage military | | | | |