2 PLANS TACKLE METH IN ARIZONA

Bipartisan Strategies To Stem Flow Of Drug

Gov. Janet Napolitano and state legislators finally appear to agree
on something: an approach to tackling the meth-addiction crisis
sweeping Arizona.

Napolitano unveiled a plan Monday to disrupt the flow of the drug
from Mexico and vowed to work with lawmakers on a bill that beefs up
law enforcement and prevention programs. Republican lawmakers are
offering a $12 million proposal that includes more money for police,
prevention and education.

The governor used Arizona's first conference on the meth crisis to
announce a $5 million plan that includes three teams of
"interdiction" squads to target methamphetamine produced in Mexico
and brought into Arizona. The 11-person teams, which would work in
the Yuma, Tucson and Phoenix areas, would be hired by the Arizona
Department of Public Safety. Napolitano said these new officers could
also play a role in tackling problems associated with Arizona's
illegal immigration.

"This is a clarion call to combat the epidemic of the meth addiction
in our state," Napolitano told a crowd of 700 people at the Wyndham
Hotel in downtown Phoenix. "Methamphetamine is to Arizona what crack
cocaine was to inner cities a decade ago. It has infiltrated every community."

Meanwhile Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Mesa,has introduced House Bill 2554,
which would put $12 millioninto investigative law enforcement squads
and prevention programs. It would also create a tip line. About $1
million of that would expand prevention and education programs like
ones at local Boys & Girls clubs.

"We're beginning to see the depth and extent of this problem,"
Anderson said. "Obviously, when we can work together we do a better
job. We're trying to involve everyone that has a concern about this issue."

The House is expected to approve HB 2554 and send it to the state
Senate later this week. In a rare sign of bipartisanship at the
Capitol, Napolitano said she likes the concepts of Anderson's bill.
She hopes her plan and Anderson's can become part of the solution.

"It's certainly a foreseeable scenario," Napolitano told The
Republic. "This is going to be real hard work. We can't just snap our
fingers and stop meth addiction."

Jim Stratton, chief executive at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater
Scottsdale, said the $1 million infusion of state funds could help
them expand the "Smart Moves" program to educate more kids about the
evils of meth. The program, Stratton said, gives kids the knowledge
and "body armor" to resist drugs when they are being pushed on them.
Parents learn how to spot potential problems and be supportive.

"It arms kids with a whole set of skills to walk away and save face
so they don't get embarrassed in the schoolyard," Stratton said.
"It's about more than just saying no."

Authorities believe a lion's share of the meth used in Arizona is
produced in labs in Mexico and Southern California and run by
organized crime and street gangs. The remaining supply comes from
makeshift meth labs in Arizona.

Meth figures into a huge number of crimes, leaves labs that are
hazardous-waste sites and endangers children. Kids were found in the
homes involved in about a third of Arizona's 102 meth-lab raids in 2004.

The primary ingredient in meth is ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, a
common ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines. Many Arizona
cities, including Buckeye, Mesa, Phoenix and Tucson, have passed
ordinances that would limit access to over-the-counter cold and
allergy medicines such as Sudafed. So far, the Arizona Legislature
has not passed a statewide bill.

The statistics from Arizona's meth crisis are alarming:

In 2003, 42 percent of females booked into Maricopa County jail
tested positive for meth.

Surveys show that 65 percent of state child-abuse and neglect cases
involve meth.

Over the past five years, there were 1,412meth-production-related
seizures in Arizona, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Bill Ekstrom, a former Mohave County attorney who fought against the
rise of illegal labs in his area, said meth is smuggled into Arizona
through tunnels, cars or planes. He saw firsthand how meth addiction
ripped apart families when parents left their children at home while
they desperately tried score more drugs.

"I don't know exactly how the governor's plan will work, but she's
definitely going after the illegal flow of meth from Mexico to
Arizona," said the former county attorney who now does special cases
for Mojave County. "This is an important statement for the governor
to make. Meth isn't a partisan issue."

Stratton said meth is the worst kind of addictive drug because it's
cheap, portable and can be made with legal ingredients. "It's without
question the most dangerous substance out there," Stratton said. "Any
community can have multiple meth labs, and they can be moved around
pretty easily."