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

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

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680However, we must look at rehabilitation pragmatically, and accept the fact th;!tsuch national x-ehabilitation programs as proposed will cast on the Federal budgetand the American taxpiiiyer an additional heavy burden.I recognize that local and State governments have not accepted their responsibilitytoward the drug user in the local community. Again, in my home county(Montgomery) there is only one hoispital that will accept even youngsters whoare on bad trips. One night I was called to a home where a 16-year-old girl celebratedher birthday l»y taking drugs and was climbing the wa.Us literally whenI arrived. We rushed her to the largest hospital in the area, only to be told theyhad no facilities to handle such cases. The Federal Government should devisemeans of cooperation with local and State governments to provide some type ofresponsible emergency treatment.Since I have indicated a lack of faith in education or rehalulitation a.s themeans of coping with the problems, the question can be naturally asked, "Whatthen do you suggest?"Looking at the dangerous problem, which if not met will destroy the moral fiberof our Nation, one cannot escaiie the logical conclusion—^the u.se of drugs is aneconomic problem. Like most crime, there is a profit motive. It is most significantthat law enforcement history indicates that the real pushers of drugs, the bigwholesalers and most local pushers, are not addicts. They are in the drug traflicfor one rea-^on only : to make money. They have no noble ideals nor emotionalarguments, such as are used by the disciples of Dr. Leary and his ilk. They simplyare in the business to put money in their pockets. The economic loss toAmerican society is tremendous. Beyond the lives made useless and wasted isthe hidden loss to our productive society. Both manpower and money are goingdown the drain into the pockets of these criminals. This must be stopped.Today, as I have indicated, there is too much soft-.selling of solutions to thisproblem. I believe that only by the adoption of the most severe and harshest ofIjenalties can this traffic in drugs be stopped. I therefore urge this committee torecommend the drafting and enacting of Federal legislation which would makethe unlicensed sale of addictive drugs a capital crime. If there is a .lack of respectfor the authority of the law today, it is largely due to the fallacious argumentsof those who would treat all criminals as "sick people needing rehabilitation."It is time that the courts treat the criminal as a criminal. No one gets into thedrug traffic because he is sick. He gets into the traffic for money and moneyalone. He is no different from the Mafia member who takes a contract to kill acomplete stranger. The drug seller morally is no different from the murderer forprofit. Often his victims are literally murdered by the drugs the pusher has sold.During recent months, efforts have been made to cut off the supply of drugscoming into the United States. IMuch publicity has been given to the efforts byour Government to persuade Turkey to reduce its opium crops and enforce drugcontrols. However, as your committee has already pointed out, "the TurkishGovernment has merely weeded out the inefficient opium-producing areas." Alleffoi-ts to secure enforceable stiff controls through the United Nations have failed,and the Communist and neutral nations merely say "it is an American problem."While we do not accept that conclusion and be,lieve these unsatisfying re.sultsonly show the futility of attempting to use the U.N. channels, these efforts dopoint up my argument that di-ug traffic is purely an economic problem.I recall the time when it was the munition-makers who were pilloried as"merchants of death" and there was a great outcry in the public press. I believethat in the 1970's the drug wholesalers and pushers are the real "merchants ofdeath." I urge your coniimittee, therefore, to give most serious consideration toour recommendation that the Federal Government enact legislation which wouldimpose death as tlie penalty for unlicensed trafficking in drugs. If we enforcesuch a Federal law, then methods for suitable education and rehabilitation willnot become another burden on our Federal budget.Finally, it occurs to me that recently we were threatened with a rash of airlinehijackings. We met that crisis by quickly enlisting and training air marshals.So far, I have not .seen suggested that with drug traffic becoming our No. 1flomestic problem, we consider the crash enlargement of the work of the Bureauof Narcotics, which fights on like King Canute tiTiJiS to stem the unceasing tide.Let's give them the monev, the men, and the law which will meet the issue headon!Thank you for this opportunity to present our views on this most vital subject.

:;681[Exhibit No. 31]Harvard Medical School— Department of Medicine,Boston City Hospital,Boston, Mass. August 4, l^^l.Hon. Claude D. Pepper,Chairman, Select Committee on Crime,U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.Dear Congressman Pepper : Our recently completed study entitled "Decreaseddrug abuse with transcendental meditation : A study of 1,862 Subjects," indicatedthat individuals who regularly practiced transcendental meditation (a)decreased or stopped abusing drugs, (6) decreased or stopped engaging in drugsellingactivity, and (c) changed their attitudes in the direction of discouragingothers from abusing drugs. No data were collected concerning hard-core addiction,but 16.9 percent claimed use of narcotics such as heroin, opium, morphine, andcocaine before starting the practice of transcendental meditation. After 22-33months of meditation, only 1.2 pei'cent claimed continued use of these drugs. Nodata were gained concerning the socioeconomic background of these subjects.So few alternatives to hard-core drug addiction now exist that I believefurther investigation of the effects of transcendental meditation no such addictionis warranted. The above-noted study, while encouraging as preliminaryfindings, should be viewed in the context of an idea which requires additionaldata for verification. Extensive control groups, more information relating todegree of usage and addiction with urine verification, more data concerning thesocioeconomic background of the subjects, and adequate followup studies tolearn what the possible long-term effects of transcendental meditation are onhard-core addiction are required.Enclosed please find a preliminary research proposal for your consideration,and a copy of the study entitled "Decreased Drug Abuse With TranscendentalMeditation."I remain.Sincerely yours,Herbert Benson, M.D.,Assistant Professor of Medicine.Enclosures : (2).Enclosure 1Preliminary ResearchProposalIn order to study whether meditation may indeed be a uonchemical alternativeto narcotic addiction, and to ascertain M-hich, if any, subsets of this addictionpopulation would find such an alternative applicable, the following study isproposedTwo populations will be studied :(a) One group from half-way houses from lower-, middle-, and upper-classenvironments(&) A second group from civil committment type facilities. Each populationgroup should be composed of approximately 600 persons.Each of the groups will be divided into three different sections which will begeographically isolated, but otherwise as closely matched as possible with i-egardto age. sex, socioeconomic background, drug abuse habits, and degree of addiction.Each person within each group will complete a questionnaire with built-ininternal checks for consistency concerning his use of narcotic-class drugs. Theaccuracy will be verified by urine testing.Within each group, one section will be left alone with the routine rehabilitationmeasures. The second will have transcendental meditation offex'ed as it is routinelytaught—namely as a volitional choice. The third will be required to attendsessions v.'here transcendental meditation instruction is being given.At the end of 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24. and 36 months, use of narcotic drugs will bereassessed as above and meditational habits ascertained. It is assumed thatafter 6 months the subjects will have returned to their home environments.Data will thus be obtained which will yield the following from both halfwayhouses and civil-committment-type facilities :

:;681[Exhibit No. 31]Harvard Medical School— Department of Medicine,Boston City Hospital,Boston, Mass. August 4, l^^l.Hon. Claude D. Pepper,Chairman, Select Committee on Crime,U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.Dear Congressman Pepper : Our recently completed study entitled "Decreaseddrug abuse with transcendental meditation : A study of 1,862 Subjects," indicatedthat individuals who regularly practiced transcendental meditation (a)decreased or stopped abusing drugs, (6) decreased or stopped engaging in drugsellingactivity, <strong>and</strong> (c) changed their attitudes in the direction of discouragingothers from abusing drugs. No data were collected concerning hard-core addiction,but 16.9 percent claimed use of narcotics such as heroin, opium, morphine, <strong>and</strong>cocaine before starting the practice of transcendental meditation. After 22-33months of meditation, only 1.2 pei'cent claimed continued use of these drugs. Nodata were gained concerning the socioeconomic background of these subjects.So few alternatives to hard-core drug addiction now exist that I believefurther investigation of the effects of transcendental meditation no such addictionis warranted. The above-noted study, while encouraging as preliminaryfindings, should be viewed in the context of an idea which requires additionaldata for verification. Extensive control groups, more information relating todegree of usage <strong>and</strong> addiction with urine verification, more data concerning thesocioeconomic background of the subjects, <strong>and</strong> adequate followup studies tolearn what the possible long-term effects of transcendental meditation are onhard-core addiction are required.Enclosed please find a preliminary <strong>research</strong> proposal for your consideration,<strong>and</strong> a copy of the study entitled "Decreased Drug Abuse With TranscendentalMeditation."I remain.Sincerely yours,Herbert Benson, M.D.,Assistant Professor of Medicine.Enclosures : (2).Enclosure 1Preliminary ResearchProposalIn order to study whether meditation may indeed be a uonchemical alternativeto narcotic addiction, <strong>and</strong> to ascertain M-hich, if any, subsets of this addictionpopulation would find such an alternative applicable, the following study isproposedTwo populations will be studied :(a) One group from half-way houses from lower-, middle-, <strong>and</strong> upper-classenvironments(&) A second group from civil committment type facilities. Each populationgroup should be composed of approximately 600 persons.Each of the groups will be divided into three different sections which will begeographically isolated, but otherwise as closely matched as possible with i-egardto age. sex, socioeconomic background, drug abuse habits, <strong>and</strong> degree of addiction.Each person within each group will complete a questionnaire with built-ininternal checks for consistency concerning his use of narcotic-class drugs. Theaccuracy will be verified by urine testing.Within each group, one section will be left alone with the routine <strong>rehabilitation</strong>measures. The second will have transcendental meditation offex'ed as it is routinelytaught—namely as a volitional choice. The third will be required to attendsessions v.'here transcendental meditation instruction is being given.At the end of 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24. <strong>and</strong> 36 months, use of narcotic drugs will bereassessed as above <strong>and</strong> meditational habits ascertained. It is assumed thatafter 6 months the subjects will have returned to their home environments.Data will thus be obtained which will yield the following from both halfwayhouses <strong>and</strong> civil-committment-type facilities :

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