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

608Under our 1071-72 budget proposal, the State will do more to cooperate witlithe local communities.But we desparately need much more than even the State can provide.More and better facilities, professional people in greater numbers, better enforcement,a full education program starting in the earliest grammar schoolgrades, and all of these initiatives call for a massive infusion of help from theFederal Government.Gentlemen, provide the professional assistance and financial resources of theFederal Government to our States and the job can be done.When analysing the national need, remember that .$45 million is what wereally need to' cope with the drug problem in the nation's third largest State forthe first year of operation. Remember that our State appropriation is also .$20million. Extend those figures nationwide and you will get a good idea of theminimum needed from Washington.The important thing now is to act.I am convinced that we can make great strides if we but apply our collectiveresources, and imagination to solving the No. 1 social issue of our time.Thank you.Chairman Pepper. We will now hear from Governor Carter ofGeorgia.STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES CARTER, GOVERNOR, STATEOF GEORGIAGovernor Carter. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am particularlythankful to be here this morning to hear the testimony, particularlyfrom New York, and also to hear the otlier two very fine Governorstell about the program in their own States.Tlie State of Georgia is experiencing just the initial throes of aheroin epidemic. In Atlanta, doctors who are working daily withheroin users, including Dr. Peter Bourne, just behind me here, nowestimate that in the metropolitan area alone we have 5,000 heroinaddicts, a figure that has been determined from tlie number of deathsfrom overdose of heroin. I understand that the multiplication factorinvolved State and nationwide is perhaps one to 200. Kecently in thelast few months, we have had this .5,000 figur(> increase because we nowliave an average of one death per week from an overdose of heroin inAtlanta, compared to an estimate of a total number of heroin addictsin Atlanta 12 months ago of less than 2,000. So we have seen our heroinaddiction increase from 21/2 to five times in Atlanta itself over thelast 12 months.If the experience of other cities holds true, we can anticipate thatthis will be increasing at least double or triple in the next 12 months.Hundreds of addicts have also been reported in tho other major citiesof Georgia like Savannah, Columbus, Macon, Augusta, and so forth.We have had in the past up until this point a dependence uponAtlanta and Fulton County, which is the county in which Atlanta islocated, for tlieiu to conduct their own heroin control program, financedin part by State funds. Withiii the last few weeks, they have simplythrown up their hands and said, we cannot contend Avith this programand we hereby turn it over completely to the State of Georgia. Tlieskyrocketing rise of heroin addiction across Georgia has produced anemergency which exceeds by far the abilities of tlie local administratorsand local treatment facilities and the judicial system and the jails andthe laws enforcement agencies to handle this vei-y great need. And asGovernor of Georgia, I liave now accepted full responsibility for developingand coordinating our res])()nse to this emergency.