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

385As I understood you to say before, Mr. Ingersoll, you and your Departmenthave a division which is doing some research work ; is thafjcorrect ?Mr. Ingersoll. That is correct ; sir.Mr. Brasco. And I understood you also to say that you are workingon some substance that might possibly be used to immunize peoplefrom the effects of na rcotirs.Mr. Ingersoll. We ai-e in a ^^ery preliminary stage of investigatingthat possibility.Mr. Brasco. You know, listening to the dialog here, and I thinkthat yon ai-e al)solute]v I'ight, in terms of having to attack this onvarious levels, but I kind of suspect that the difficulty that we havehere, controlling the supply and the traffic, is only magnified when wetry to get involved in foreign countries.I am not saying that we shouldn't do that. But it comes to thequestion that has always been disturbing me, as to whether or notwe are doing enough in this research area.Several witnesses have appeared before this committee and havetouched on the research area with methadone, and briefly in terms ofthe fact that there may be in the wind some prospects of getting alonger lasting drug other than methadone.Now you talk about immunization, and I am wondering, are wedoing anything in this area of research or is this another one of thoselate start areas ?JNIr. Ingersoll. I think that is correct ;yes, sir.Mr. Brasco. A late start area.Mr. Ingersoll. Yes.Mr. Brasco. Well, let me ask you this, then. It would seem to methat one of the things that you are talking about, immunization,should be the star emphasis of this or any other administration. Iam wondering what your resources are to follow that program thatyou speak of.Mr. Ingersoll. It is not really within our sphere of responsibility todo it. We are just trying to examine the proposition in a preliminaryway to see whether it has any possible merit.Mr. Brasco. Well, is anyone else doing it that you know of ?Mr. Ingersoll. Not to my Imowledge.Mr. Brasco. I am told, by our counsel, that the National Institute ofMental Health is doing something.Mr. Ingersoll. I was just told that we are working with one oftheir employees—one of their staff people.Mr. Brasco. Do you have any idea what that budget is, in dollarsand cents ?Mr. Ingersoll. For this particular project?Mr. Brasco. Yes.Mr. Ingersoll. It would be miniscule at this time because again, itis something we have just started examining in the last month, 2months.Mr. Brasco. Let me ask you one other question. Is there a possibilityof developing some type of sensor or sensitive equipment thatcould pick up drugs as they come across the border?Mr. Ingersoll. We are working on such a development at this time.