KEMPTHORNE, OTHERS SEE NEED FOR DRUG TREATMENT

Meeting Focuses On Alternatives To More Prisons

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Calling methamphetamine a cheap poison that is destroying
lives and communities across the country, Govs. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho
and Mike Johanns of Nebraska said Thursday that the fight needs to focus on
abuse prevention, not punishment.

About 70 people, including judges, police officers and substance-abuse
counselors from Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico and
American Samoa met in Lincoln to discuss ways to reduce demand for illegal
drugs.

Kempthorne opened the two-day conference by calling drug abuse one of the
most difficult and pervasive problems facing the country today.

"It's everywhere," he said. "Absolutely everywhere."

Kempthorne and Johanns said more needs to be done to prevent drug abuse and
treat those who are addicted, not just build more prisons to lock up offenders.

In Idaho, $21 million is targeted for drug programs, but it is divided
among six different state agencies. Putting all that money into one concise
effort would be more effective, Kempthorne said.

If the focus is only on imprisoning drug users, states are fighting a
losing battle, Kempthorne said.

Johanns noted that in Nebraska, juvenile drug arrests have increased 400
percent the past 10 years, while crime overall has dropped 6 percent.

"The problem is getting worse," said Shawn Kellerman, a former meth
addict-turned-drug counselor. "The clients are getting younger and younger."

In rural areas, drug arrests went up 600 percent since 1990.

"We're just seeing way too much drug use," he said.

Finding ways to pay for treatment of those drug users is the most effective
way to battle the problem, Johanns said.

Discussions at the meetings centered on defining the problem of drug and
alcohol abuse, finding solutions and developing strategies to implement them.

While the state representatives worked on those issues, Johanns and
Kempthorne heard presentations from the Nebraska State Patrol about their
efforts to combat the selling and distribution of drugs and from state
health officials about treatment programs in the state.