GERINGER SEEKS NEW APPROACH TO DRUGS

TGov. Jim Geringer and other governors agreed to evaluate their drug
prevention strategies following the Western Governors Association's
annual conference in Hawaii.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded the association a
grant to look at drug prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

Geringer said the states need to reevaluate the concentration of anti-drug
resources on the criminal justice system.

``This isn't a contest to see who can be toughest on crime,'' he told
reporters after the conference. ``This is a reevaluation and redirection
of resources.''

While government cannot solve drug problems alone, it can help shape public
attitudes against drugs, he said Tuesday.

``It still fundamentally boils down to personal responsibility,'' he said.

There is no data to show which programs work best but the longer treatment
programs seem to yield the better results, he said.

Geringer cosponsored a resolution calling for Congress to help pay for the
high cost of cleaning up methamphetamine laboratories.

He also advocated the responsible use of biotechnology, a rapidly
developing field that has led to improved crops, vaccines and biodegradable
plastics.

How the federal government regulates biotechnology should be reviewed
periodically, according to the resolution he cosponsored.

Geringer sponsored a resolution calling for Congress to protect customers
from power outages that may increase during peak use as the energy
marketplace becomes increasingly competitive.

Congress should replace voluntary standards with enforceable ones, his
resolution said.

The association wrapped up its three-day conference by electing Idaho Gov.
Dirk Kempthorne as its chairman.