STATE RIGHT TO ADDRESS NEED FOR DRUG TREATMENT

Thanks to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Tennessee will
get much-needed resources to help fight the spreading scourge of
methamphetamine. The money, which is being awarded in the latest round of
Access to Recovery grants, will help pay for desperately needed treatment
programs for those already addicted.

Tennessee is one of 14 states to receive the latest round of federal
funding. The state's share will total $17.8 million, and will be disbursed
in blocks of $5.9 million over the next three years.

Treatment facilities are desperately needed in Tennessee, especially when
you consider that the state now accounts for 75 percent of the new meth lab
seizures in the Southeast. Clearly, something must be done.

Treatment is a key part of the answer to Tennessee's meth problem because
law enforcement officials estimate that 80 percent of all crimes are somehow
drug-related. With treatment, addicts stand a greater chance of rejoining
society as productive citizens.

With the proper treatment, the number of mobile meth labs would drop as
demand for the drug decreased. This would leave law enforcement free to
pursue the major suppliers of the drug, as well as those importing the drug
to this state.

Gov. Phil Bredesen deserves credit for seeking to close the treatment gap by
making sure all 81 state facilities are adequately funded. He's also smart
to direct some of the money to Appalachia, one of Tennessee's hardest hit
areas.

This latest round of money won't solve Tennessee's meth problem. But
addressing the need for treatment is a major step in the right direction.