Narcotics research, rehabilitation, and treatment. Hearings, Ninety ...

urden that such addiction imposes upon a society threatened andravaged by crime directly rebated to tliis addiction. Is methadonemaintenance an efficacious method of reducing crime perpetrated byaddicts under treatment? Does methadone maintenance reduce theillegal activity of addicts and provide a vehicle to move these addictsback into our society ? Is methadone maintenance safe if properlyadministered in a comprehensive rehabilitation program ?Do the deaths recently attributed to methadone—we have had sixreported deaths in the last few weeks here in the District of Colimibia—dothe_ deaths recently attributed to methadone mean that wemust reconsider the present posture of methadone maintenance or arethese deaths a natural incident and to be expected with the rise ofmethadone treatment programs? These are just some of the questionswhich this committee wants answered during the course of thesehearings."VYe also want to know whether the guidelines recently promulgatedby the Food and Drug Administration will serve as a barrier againstwrongful, negligent, and unlawful practices by some physicians whohave dispensed methadone. We want to examine the critical questionof how can methadone, an admittedly dangerous synthetic drug, bestbe dispensed. "We want to know whether methadone maintenancecan truly be an effective therapeutic approach with the proper andcostly support services.Finally, this committee intends to survey and evaluate our presentFederal and State expenditures relating to opiate research. We wantto know if new drugs are on the horizon. Certainly the scientific geniusof this country should be implored and employed to help solve thisnational calamity.It might well be that at the conclusion of these 7 days we haveraised more questions than we have answered. However, we can nolonger afford to avoid the unpleasant evidence of the geometricgrowth in narcotic addiction. This tragedy, however, might well pushus into a needed national mobilization of our medical and scientificresources to destroy the awful heroin traffic and to deal humanelywith those who suffer from it. I know I sjDeak for all the members ofthis committee when I conclude by stating that this committee isready to make the sacrifice, financial and otherwise, which is necessaryto wipe out this national health epidemic.At this time, let us place in the record a copy of House Resolution115, introduced January 3, 1971, and approved March 9, 1971, whichcreated the Select Committee on Crime in the House of Representatives,described its purposes, set its goals, laid its jurisdictions, anddelineated its functions.(H. Res. 115 follows:)