In presenting its Congressional Award to Grassley during the organization's eighth annual leadership forum in the nation's capital, Nelson Cooney, interim president of CADCA said, "Senator Grassley is a true champion for community anti-drug coalitions. There has been no more vocal or respected advocate for anti-drug coalitions in the Senate than Charles Grassley. Community coalitions owe Senator Grassley a debt of gratitude for his commitment to helping communities combat drugs and violence."
"I accept this award, not in the spirit of a ?job done' but of ?work just begun,'" Grassley said. "And, in turn, I salute CADCA for the contribution it has made across the country by providing valuable assistance and direction for community efforts to fight substance abuse and violence."
This summer, Grassley won the President's signature on a bill he introduced to move federal dollars out of the Washington bureaucracy and directly into the hands of community coalitions dedicated to fighting drug use. The Drug Free Communities Act of 1997 will provide annually for $10 million in federal grants to be given to grassroots organizations with proven success. In October, Grassley urged President Clinton to appoint Iowa's Drug Czar, Chuck Larson, to serve on the national board to decide how these grants are awarded.
In addition, since last spring, Grassley has been working to create the first-of-its-kind statewide anti-drug community coalition in Iowa. He has organized six individual task forces comprised of local leaders in Iowa to develop the best ideas to fight substance abuse. Grassley said the goal is to formulate a strategic plan with solutions tailored to Iowa. The recommendations and specific strategy will be announced after the first of the year.
"In Iowa, we're seeing methamphetamine wreak havoc at increasingly alarming rates. That's why I've intensified my efforts to help the countless individuals in Iowa who are committed to fighting this poison. Working together, we can make Iowa schools, workplaces and neighborhoods drug-free. The war on drugs must be fought and it will be won at the grassroots," Grassley said.
Grassley is a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He also has sought a strong national anti-drug policy and been active in the fight against international drug trafficking as chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. Founded in 1992 by the President's Drug Advisory Council, CADCA is a non-profit, non-partisan organization providing education and advocacy at the national and state levels on behalf of its 4,300 coalition members.