National Drug Czzar visits Cedar Rapids

One of Iowa’s U.S. Senators is escorting the national “drug czar” to eastern Iowa today to address drugs in the workplace. Senator Chuck Grassley says John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, will be in Cedar Rapids to speak at a seminar entitled “Combating Substance Abuse in the Workplace.” Grassley explains the goal of Walters’ trip. Grassley is chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics control. He says “It’s estimated that in America over 70-percent of drug addicts are employed, meaning the workplace is a key place to focus our efforts.” Grassley wants Walters to come to Iowa to learn about the methamphetamine problem here, especially with locally-made meth, and to have him interact with law enforcement people and prosecutors on the issue of enforcing drug laws. Walters will speak at noon. Grassley will introduce an afternoon panel that will discuss the research that Face It Together, a statewide nonprofit antidrug coalition, has done to design a unique workplace drug education program. The event, hosted by U.S. Attorney Chuck Larson Senior, will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cedar Rapids. Employers, human resource managers, prevention specialists and law enforcement officers will participate in the seminar, which will provide them with education of the scope of the illicit drug problem and the tools needed to combat it.