I thank the witnesses for their presentations, all direct and forthright.
Sitting here listening to the discussion, the more I hear about this bill the more I wonder why we're spending time on a bill that really is of little significance. I think Mr. Berner had it right. It may be politically savvy, the drug-free prisons act, but it's really not doing that at all. Also, it's not in any way dealing with the problem. That's the reality of the world. I have to say there are better things we could be doing than looking at a piece of legislation that we really don't need.
Assuming the bill's going to pass, because it's going to, I have one question on the bill itself. Is there any risk in this bill, cost to public safety, that we should be concerned about? I don't see it, but you folks may.
If there's not a risk to public safety by passing this bill, what can we do with the bill to actually deal with the problem that you stated, Ms. Jesseman? You said, “Addiction is a chronic relapsing brain condition that must be treated as a health issue and not a poor life choice.” This bill is doing anything but that. It's showing a sense of direction from the government that believes in penalties rather than rehabilitation. Is there anything we can do under this bill, on your second point, to actually deal with the problem, rather than portraying with smoke and mirrors that we're going to keep prisons drug-free?
I have two questions. Are there any risks caused by this bill? How can we improve it to actually deal with the problem, rather than just smoke and mirrors?