Remarks Upon Accepting an Award From the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association

It is a pleasure to welcome you here today--and it is a privilege to accept your award.

I enlisted in your cause long ago.

You are the frontline fighters against a menace that is no longer just a national problem. It has become a national scandal.

There is no greater tragedy than the young boy or girl who forfeits a future to the enslavement of dangerous drugs and narcotics.

There is no greater evil than the sale of that slavery to the young.

With your help, we are going to put a stop to it.

This year we in the Federal Government are taking new and long overdue measures to crack down on the pusher and peddler:

--We have set up a new Bureau of Narcotics in the Justice Department to strengthen the Federal machinery. The Congress approved this reorganization 2 weeks ago.

--We have asked for a 30 percent increase in the number of Federal agents to enforce our narcotics laws.

--We are seeking new legislation to make it a felony to manufacture and sell LSD and other dangerous drugs illegally.

--We have undertaken an intensive review of all Federal narcotics laws, to bring them up to date.

But you and I know that enforcement is only part of the answer.

We have to make certain that every young man and woman in America is fully alerted to the ruinous danger of drug addiction.

We have to try to find new ways to salvage the lost life of the addict and bring him back into the community as a productive and healthy citizen.

This is the job that confronts all of us-every Governor and mayor, every lawmaker and law enforcer, every teacher and every parent.

It is a big job. But there is none more important. It is a job to assure the future strength and vitality of our Nation.

Thank you.