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

613I think it is more appropriate today to present to you my thoughts on theproblems of heroin addiction in the armed services, and how that problemaffects Georgia.Georgians have always held the military professions in high regard, and wehave probably tended to join the armed services in disproportionate numbers.Today, some 71.500 Georgians are serving in the Armed Forces. We know thatmany of these Georgians have been exposed to heroin use in Vietnam andEurope, and we can expect them to bring their habits home when they return.Further, Georgia is the location of several of our country's largest militarybases. There are 81,000 service men and women stationed at Georgia's 11 militarybases. Fort Benning in Columbus and Fort Gordon in Augusta together havemore than 50,000 personnel, or about two-thirds of the total in Georgia.Military operations are an important part of Georgia's economy—and militarypersonnel are a large part of our heroin addiction problem. Although precise informationdealing with heroin use in the Armed Forces is simply not available,it is probably safe to estimate that the return of Vietnam veterans, either toGeorgia military bases or to civilian life in Georgia, will double again the heroinaddiction problem in my State in the coming year.To Georgians, therefore, it is crucial that the Armed Forces carry out thoroughand conscientious rehabilitation programs for servicemen who are addicted toheroin. Let us make no mistake : the heroin addiction that is growing so rapidlyamong our troops in Vietnam is in large part the result of a problem in morale,discipline, and leadership. The blame for this breakdown rests with the MilitaryEstablishment ; tlie responsibility for caring for veterans who are disabled byheroin addiction must also rest there.I am concerned that the Military Establishment will shirk this responsibility.We understand that the typical heroin addict in the military is not very differentfrom his counterpart in civilian life. He did not finish high school, he comes froma broken home, and there is a good chance he is a member of a minority group. Inall likelihood, he is a draftee, and no one would argue that treating his habit isessential to the military mission. When he returns to civilian life, he will findhimself on the street with little chance of landing a good job. In short, he ispowerless, and it is not hard to suspect that the Armed Forces would be happyto quietly sweep him under the rug, or into the hands of civilian agencies.The Armed Forces should not be allowed to discharge their responsibility forheroin addiction by simply retaining an addict on active duty for an additional 21days of treatment. There is no 21-day cure for heroin addiction, and it is dishonestto lead the American public to believe this. To the Vietnam veteran whois retained, and to the civilian agencies that must eventually provide him services,3 short weeks of extra treatment by the military is a cynical joke.If the Armed Services take seriously their re.sponsibility for treatment of theirheroin addicts, then I am convinced that Georgia can bring its heroin emergencyunder control. In Georgia, I will make every effort to assure that State and militaryefforts are coordinated. I intend to propose that a joint drug abuse coordinatingcommittee be established, with membership consisting of the Governor andthe commanding ofiicers of the major military bases in Georgia. This committeewould meet regularly to discuss progress on existing programs, and to initiatenew efforts.I am not convinced that the Veterans' Administration alone should be expectedto be capable of mounting the many types of programs required to treat heroinaddiction among returning servicemen. I hope that we will be able in Georgiato arrange for contracts between the Veterans' Administration and those civilianprograms which will complement VA programs. The Veterans' Administrationmight, for example, contract with Georgia's statewide program to operate storefronttreatment centers in cities where military bases are located. Or the Veterans'Administration might seek epidemiological advice from the U.S. Public HealthService's National Center for Disease Control, located in Atlanta.A simple solution may be joint financing of our overall drug addiction programfor Georgia, which will cost from .S.^ million to $7 million annually—a cost whichwe cannot afford and which has not been budgeted.At the Democratic Governors' Conference in Omaha last weekend, I discussedheroin addiction with other southern Governors. They and I believe that theheroin addiction problem offers important opportunities for regional cooperation,such as centralizing laboratory facilities and record systems. A regional approachto the problem of heroin addiction among returning Vietnam veterans would alsobe important. I expect to set a date in the near future for a meeting of southern