BAUCUS HELPS SECURE FUNDS FOR METH FIGHT IN MONTANA

At the urging of Sen. Max Baucus, the man nominated to take over the Drug
Enforcement Administration has pledged to work toward gaining more
resources to fight methamphetamine use and production in Montana.

In a letter to Baucus dated Monday, Asa Hutchinson, a U.S. representative
from Arkansas and President Bush's choice to head the DEA, said he would
recommend that Montana be designated as part of the Rocky Mountain High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The designation would mean Montana would
join states such as Colorado, Wyoming and Utah in receiving additional
federal funding and other resources to combat methamphetamine abuse.

"It would mean that we were part of a designated area that would receive
more law enforcement dollars and assistance," Baucus said Tuesday in a
telephone interview from Washington, D.C. "If we are going to stamp out
this meth problem ... the more resources we can dedicate, the greater the
likelihood it will happen. We just need more help."

Baucus said combating the use of meth, a highly addictive stimulant that
can cause paranoia, aggression and intense mood swings, is one of his
primary causes.

"This is one of my top priorities," Baucus said. "I want to stamp meth out."

The HIDTA designation actually is determined by the Office of National Drug
Control Policy and the nation's "drug czar." But as DEA chief, Hutchinson's
recommendation would carry a lot of weight in getting the designation,
Baucus said.

That's why Montana's Democratic senator approached Hutchinson, telling him
he would be more likely to support his nomination in the Senate if he in
turn would push for Montana to be given the designation to be part of HIDTA.

"He doesn't have direct control," Baucus said. "But he has a lot of
influence. We had a nice, long talk about it. I thought I would just twist
some arms to get us into HIDTA."

Hutchinson, whose nomination must still be endorsed by the Senate, said he
understands the difficulties law enforcement personnel are having in
fighting meth use in a large geographic area.

"As you know, this designation rests with ONDCP, but if I have the
privilege to serve as administrator for the Drug Enforcement
Administration, I would offer the assistance of the DEA both in obtaining
this designation and in any technical assistance to make sure the law
enforcement plan to fight methamphetamine production is workable and in
line with any legislative and regulatory guidelines," Hutchinson wrote in
his letter to Baucus.

Hutchinson also said he would support a proposal to add a second DEA office
in Montana in Missoula.

Baucus said he considers the increase in methamphetamine use and production
to be one of Montana's single greatest problems.

"There has been an explosion of meth in Montana," Baucus said. "There is a
meth problem for a lot of reasons. It's so easy to make that you can get
the ingredients at a drug store or a farm supply store. And when someone
leaves behind a meth lab, it leaves a lot of toxic waste that is extremely
expensive to clean up."

Baucus said he hopes Montana can receive an HIDTA designation in the near
future.

"That stuff is just so addictive," he said. "I'm told it's more addictive
than cocaine and other hard drugs. And it's not just kids using it. There's
a lot of other people using it as well."