DRUG CZAR LAUDS DALLAS' FIGHT AGAINST 'CHEESE'

Federal Official Visits Area, Meets With Local Task Force

President Bush's drug czar praised Dallas leaders Wednesday for
fighting "cheese" heroin use among youths - a move he said is vital
to preventing its spread to other parts of the country.

"That's one of the reasons we're trying to watch this closely," John
Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy, said during a news conference Wednesday at Dallas Independent
School District headquarters.

Mr. Walters spoke after receiving a briefing from the Cheese Heroin
Task Force. DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, Dallas County
District Attorney Craig Watkins and some parents whose children died
of cheese were among those who attended the briefing, which was
closed to the public.

Mr. Walters said the community's effort to come together to fight
cheese is impressive. The mix of black tar heroin and crushed
nighttime cold tablets has been blamed for the deaths of 23 area
teens since January 2005.

"I came here to hear from those who are working against this terrible
phenomenon," Mr. Walters said.

Cheese surfaced in five northwest Dallas schools this past school
year. The drug, which sells for as little as $2 a hit, has greatly
concerned health-care providers, law enforcement and school district
officials because of its accessibility and addictiveness. It has been
known to be used by kids as young as 10.

Mr. Walters said he is working with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to add
money to a national media campaign to address cheese.

Mr. Walters also announced Wednesday that six Texas school districts,
including Ennis, will receive new federal grants, totaling $1.67
million, to help fund random student drug testing. He said such
testing could be used as a public health tool to deter students from
using illegal drugs and help with early intervention.

The Ennis district, about 40 miles south of Dallas, will receive
$148,566 over three years. Other districts receiving grant money are
Bloomington, Friendswood, Ganado, La Porte and Mission Consolidated
school district.

Ennis Superintendent Eddie Dunn said his school board recently voted
to do random drug testing.

"It seems to me as adults we should be champions of hope; illegal
drugs kill hope, and we can't let that happen," Dr. Dunn said during
the news conference.

Mr. Walters acknowledged that random drug testing is controversial.

Some opponents have said it violates students' civil rights. But Mr.
Walters said students who test positive in random tests cannot be punished.

The Dallas school district is using a federal grant for a voluntary
drug testing program that requires parental permission. The students
don't know when they will be tested.

Linda Yater, DISD's executive director for student services, said
that 12,580 students in sixth grade and up were tested last year, and
that 97 percent were drug-free.

The No. 1 drug students tested positive for was marijuana, followed
by methamphetamine and then heroin.

Michelle Hemm, director at Phoenix Academy of Dallas, a 32-bed
private, residential treatment center, said she hopes the attention
to cheese will help get funding for residential care for people
hooked on the drug.

"I'm hopeful that ... the powers that be will look at Dallas," she
said. "The fact that people have rallied behind this is great."