Cut Off Drug Money, Says Congresswoman.

• Author: Byron, Norma
• Position: Brief Article

For the United States to succeed in its efforts to combat terrorism, it also must defeat the international drug trade, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., told an October luncheon sponsored by Women In Defense.

Davis made her comments to a riveted audience--many of whom were attending their first WID event--in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

A first-term member of the House Armed Services Committee, the International Relations Committee and the Speaker's Special Drug Task Force, Davis provided an in-depth overview of U.S. efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice and provide relief and assistance to the victims.

The drug-terrorist connection, she said, was central. "It is no secret that several terrorist rings across the world are funded by dollars obtained from the illegal drug trade," she noted. To be successful against terrorism, she said, "we must cut off their funds and stop this drug trade."

For years, Afghanistan--Osama bin Laden's refuge--has been "the world's largest producer of opium poppy," which is used to make heroin for shipment to the United States, said Davis. "By fighting the drug trade, we are assisting our armed services in fighting terrorism."

Davis also supported legislation to aid victims and families, to expedite funding for emergency safety officers killed in blasts, as well as extend preferential estate tax treatment to their...