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

55)1Chairman Pepper. Dr. Resnick, again, I want to repeat our deepthanks to you for the magnificent contribution on this subject and tothis hearing. We thank you very much.Dr. Resnick. Thank you.Chairman Pepper. The Select Committee on Crime of the Househas now concluded the second phase of our public hearings on theresearch aspects of heroin addiction in the United States. What wehave heard for the past 3 da3's both saddens me and gives me reasonfor hope. I am saddened by the low priority research that heroinaddiction has had in the past. I am saddened that at the present wecan only offer such limited hope to those addicted to heroin, theirfamilies and their connnunities, but I am hopeful that the testimonywe have received today and throughout this hearing bolsters this hope.That with the necessar}^ commitment on the part of Coiigress, we canrapidly increase our capacity to deal with the heroin epidemic.I have found from a good many years' experience in the Congressand as a citizen of this countr}- that this great countrj" can do almostanj'thing it wants to. When we wanted to find the atom bomb, thePresident of the United States gave almost unlmiited spending power,and so did the committees of the Congress and the Congress to thatWhen the President committed us to go to the moon, we dideffort.not ask how much it was going to cost. We said we were going there,and we went. So, I found that if we make a commitment, a determinedcommitment, this great country can do almost anything it wants to do.I believe that that commitment must be expressed in terms of dollarsto finance research, and an expressed national will to solve this problemnow, not 10 years from now after so many more have died; but now.Far too much lip service is paid to fighting heroin addiction and alot of it is made on the part of the Government of the United States.We need action, and a real sense of continuing urgency until thisproblem is solved, not some momentary flurrj' of excitement whenperiodic disclosures gain currency in the press.I am also hopeful that we can conquer this menace because the testimonywe have received mdicates that scientists are developing somepotentially successful leads that ma}' make heroin addiction a thingof the past.Look at the exciting prospects that are revealed here by Dr. Resnicktoday, that we might develop a prophylactic to give the young people,the way they get a vaccination for smallpox or typhoid, give them aninocvdation and some prophylactic drug like this that would preventthem from ever being hooked on these terrible drugs.We must support these scientists to the fullest. The general cutbackin Federal funding of scientific research— and incidentall}', myinformation is that the Russians are not cutting back on any aspectof scientific research—which is causing great harm to all fields ofresearch is a pitiful example of false economy. Wliat I meant to referto is that they tell me in the field of space and oceanography, in buildinga great navy and building a maritime power, and many otherareas with which we are comjjetitive with them, their expendituresare not being reduced. I understand they are going right along on aninclined plane.Cutting back as we are cutting back in so man}- areas of scientificresearch is false economy, and failure to make wise investments in