METH-FIGHT FUNDS IGNORED

Utah Officials Say '04 Law Stifled Requests

Western states complain the federal government ignored the nation's
methamphetamine problem until the drug made inroads east and popped
up in large cities, such as Chicago and Philadelphia.

But now that tens of millions of federal dollars are being spent to
combat the so-called "epidemic," Utah isn't fighting for its share.

Just this week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) announced $28 million in grant awards for
addiction research. Utah's neighbors - Colorado, California, Nevada,
Oregon and Washington - are among the states tapping these and other
meth-related monies.

Utah didn't even bother applying.

State substance abuse officials say they routinely bypass small
grants because they don't pay for themselves. But they blame a
reluctance to compete for larger pots on a 2004 law that requires
agencies to run their grant applications by the Utah Legislature.

Ironically, the law was passed after lawmakers learned Mike Leavitt -
then Utah's governor, and now overseeing substance abuse spending as
U.S. Health and Human Services secretary - secretly signed Utah up to
participate in a controversial anti-terrorism citizen surveillance
program called MATRIX.

The fallout "really chilled the willingness of a lot of state
agencies to go after grant dollars," says Patrick Fleming, Salt Lake
County substance abuse director.

Brent Kelsey, state substance abuse director, agrees. "We have to be
careful about what we go after because grants are time-limited,
leaving states on the hook to fund the programs when the federal
money runs out," he said.

Kelsey stressed he hasn't sworn off federal greenbacks.

In fact, he said, Utah recently won $10 million to spend over five
years on drug abuse prevention. Details about the campaign's design
and focus won't be known for at least a year.

"We looked at the meth grants. It's one of our issues. But most of
the grants were about $300,000. It would have cost us more to staff
up to run the program than we would have benefitted," Kelsey said.

Nationally, debate has waged over whether meth use has reached an epidemic.

Self-reported use of the drug is on the decline, though treatment
centers report a surge in meth dependence and addiction, says Kenneth
Robertson at the Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment.

Robertson spoke at a regional meth conference Thursday, convened in
Salt Lake City by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. His
comments drew fire from a California official, who argues national
data don't show the whole picture.

Meth has been public enemy No. 1 in Western states for nearly a
decade, disproportionately hurting women in child-bearing years
between the ages of 18 and 25, says Kathryn Jett, California's drug
and alcohol programs director.

Citing costs to society from bulging prisons to children abandoned to
foster care by drug-addicted parents, Jett says she is tired of
throwing local resources at the problem with no backing from the feds.

SAMHSA's latest round of grants doesn't begin to make up for
million-dollar cuts to California's share of federal substance abuse
block grants, she says. "It's getting to the point where it's
downright scary. I don't want to end up like Hawaii where they can't
even drug test because everyone tests positive for ice [or meth.]"

Organizers of the meth conference, which reconvenes today, contend
the federal government has stepped up efforts to control the spread
of meth, and the conference is proof. The purpose of the two-day
event is to brainstorm national law enforcement, addiction treatment
and prevention policies.

The Methamphetamine Enemy

* A form of speed that is smoked, snorted or injected, "crystal meth"
- - also known as "ice" or "crank" - is a potent stimulant with
long-lasting effects.

* Despite efforts to contain crystal meth, the drug remains the No. 1
illegal substance of choice as reported by Utahns in publicly funded
treatment - a rank it has held for five straight years.