BUSH BUDGET WOULD ENDANGER STATE'S FIGHT AGAINST METH

In West Virginia, we pride ourselves on the absence of many of the problems
that plague the urban areas of our country. We have long enjoyed low rates
of crime and violence. We reach out to neighbors when they need help.

Our sense of community and the neighborliness of West Virginians have
remained largely unaffected by the culture of distrust and isolation more
common elsewhere.

But some big city problems eventually do make their way to rural America.
Anyone who even casually follows the local news knows that the growing use
of the drug methamphetamine represents an encroaching threat to our
families, our communities, and our way of life in West Virginia.

Unlike other drugs that must be smuggled in from foreign countries, meth
can be made easily in a house, garage or even a car trunk. Meth labs can be
operated by most anyone able to gather together a few easily-obtained
ingredients and follow cookbook instructions readily available on the Internet.

We must meet this problem head-on. Our local law enforcement agencies and
the West Virginia Legislature are making it clear that they consider the
methamphetamine problem a priority issue. At the federal level, we must
make sure the funding is made available to properly train and equip our
local law enforcement officials to deal with the highly volatile nature of
meth labs.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a difficult task. The president's budget
this year proposes a $1.6 billion cut in federal funding for law
enforcement and emergency first responders, a major blow to our efforts to
deal with the scourge of methamphetamine.

Included in these budget reductions is a 62 percent cut to the COPS
Methamphetamine Enforcement and Clean Up Program, which has been enormously
successful in providing assistance to our local law enforcement. These cuts
will pull the rug out from under their efforts to stop the spread of meth.

These budget cuts will also reduce our efforts to educate children about
the dangers of these drugs, and they cut all support for the Safe and
Drug-Free Schools program.

Congressional Democrats are doing all we can to reverse these drastic cuts.
During the recent budget debate, I supported two amendments that would have
restored funding for law enforcement and emergency first responders.

Although these amendments were defeated, I intend to keep fighting for this
funding because it is important to protecting West Virginians. Meth not
only endangers drug users and manufacturers, but also the innocent people
who live in homes where it is made. The impact on children has been
particularly cruel.

West Virginia remains a wonderful place to live and raise a family, but we
are not immune from the scourge of illegal drug use and criminal activity.
We must deal with the spread of meth in West Virginia firmly and decisively.

I will work with local officials, the West Virginia Legislature and members
of Congress in Washington to see that West Virginia has the resources
necessary to deal with this growing problem.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat, represents West Virginia in the United
States Senate.