MCCAFFREY: BILLINGS MUST CONTROL METH PROBLEM

America put a man on the moon, won the Cold War and built an interstate
highway system. How can it be that the nation cannot kick its drug problem,
asked the nation's "drug czar," Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey during
presentations in Billings on Thursday.

"You name it, we think we can accomplish it," McCaffrey said during one of
two meetings he attended while in Billings. "When it comes to drugs,
there's a lot of people throwing up their hands saying there's nothing we
can do about it."

McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy, attended a press conference and a town forum Thursday in Billings.
There were several meetings he missed because his plane was delayed by bad
weather. He will meet today with community leaders, attend a breakfast and
conduct a press conference where he will present his overall impressions of
Billings.

During the town hall meeting at the Lincoln Center, McCaffrey said Billings
needs to get control of its methamphetamine problem or the city could face
problems similar to the crack epidemics in the early 1990s, McCaffrey told
a crowd of more than 200 who attended a community forum Thursday evening at
the Lincoln Center. Although McCaffrey specifically talked about Billings,
he added that the drug problem is much worse in other cities.

"I think methamphetamines are probably the worst thing that ever happened
to America," McCaffrey said. "We don't want to have happen in this state
with methamphetamine what happened in Miami with crack cocaine."

The drug war needs to be fought by keeping kids away from drugs and
increasing community awareness of new drugs, McCaffrey said.

"We've got to get our young people through their developmental years," he
said.

Until recently, most drugs were seen as imports from places such as Burma,
Peru, Thailand and Colombia. This has changed, he said. Methamphetamine is
concocted on kitchen stoves across America, McCaffrey said.

Montana law enforcement professionals, parole officers and health
professionals told McCaffrey they need more money and manpower to fight the
problems.

McCaffrey, who commands an $18 billion budget, said he will do his best to
"get you more money," but "the solutions to some of these problems are not
in Washington, they're out here."

Last year, Montana received more than $15 million in federal funds last
year to fight drugs, McCaffrey said.

"I think if we get rational arguments, we'll support more," McCaffrey said.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., told the meeting of law enforcement professionals
that he will fight to bring back more money to Montana.

"We're going to get the money necessary to get the job done," Baucus said.

During the evening community forum, teachers, ministers, mothers and a
former drug user stood at a microphone and asked McCaffrey what they could
do to help.

"What else can we do to solve this complex problem?" asked a mother of five.

McCaffrey said the best solutions don't come from Washington, D.C.

"If there's anyone who can make a difference, it's mothers," McCaffrey said.

McCaffrey said studies have shown that it doesn't take Herculean efforts to
keep kids off drugs. He offered a few tips: Eat dinner together, go to
church or a synagogue together, get involved with organized sports and tell
your children not to use drugs.

A man named Wayne stood in front of the microphone rubbing his hands.

"I'm nervous," he said before telling the group that he had been addicted
to methamphetamines for nearly two decades.

"People don't understand the affect of this drug. ... It tears the brains
up. It rips the family apart," Wayne said. "It has a hold that never lets go."

Wayne said he has received help from Narcotics Anonymous and has remained
drug free for four years, three months and 22 days.

"There isn't a day that goes by I don't think about dope," he said.

"We need long term treatment," Wayne said. "What we're asking is some help
in that field."

People applauded this idea. McCaffrey agreed and called the man a hero for
getting treatment and speaking up.

A juvenile parole officer had a similar request: spend more money on
treatment and less on sending adult offenders to prison.

"I still think we are being reactive rather than proactive," she said.

Another parole officer in Billings, Carlos Jones, said at the afternoon
meeting that tight budgets are preventing swift treatment for drug abusers
who want help. Many have to wait three to six months before a bed opens up
in a treatment center, he said. The abusers need longterm support but
typically only receive 30 days of help.

McCaffrey agreed. Throughout the evening, he stressed the need for long
term treatment and said he would try to find more money for local programs.

Chief Ron Tussing said he hopes McCaffrey's visit will help people realize
the enormity of Billings' drug problems.

"I think the General's presence could help us quite a bit by raising the
awareness of the methamphetamine problem in the community," Tussing said.
"We definitely want to be called the Magic City and not Cranktown, USA."

James Hagengruber can be reached at 657-1232 or at
jhagengruber@billingsgazette.com

(SIDEBAR)

QUOTES & COMMENTS

Drug czar Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey spoke to a group of law enforcement
professionals Thursday afternoon at Deaconess Hospital. He responded to a
variety of questions.

Far away Big Sky

McCaffrey's plane was delayed Thursday. He boarded a flight in Washington,
D.C., at about 5:30 a.m. and arrived at the meeting with law enforcement
professionals 13 hours later - just in time for a press conference.

"It took me longer to get here than it did for me to get to Lucerne,
Switzerland last week," McCaffrey quipped.

Legalization?

McCaffrey advocates "ferociously stiff penalties" and said he opposes any
legalization of drugs.

"It's a moot point, it's never going to happen," McCaffrey said.

Polls indicate the public is against such measures, he added.

"Alcohol is the worst drug of abuse in America, hands down," McCaffrey
said. "We want meth to join that?"

He urged police officers to be more vigilant against drugs.

"If you back off this issue, we are lost," McCaffrey said. "Prevention and
treatment won't work unless laws are vigorously enforced."

New threats

"There are new drugs showing up now that are really going to complicate the
problem," McCaffrey said.

One of these drugs is ecstasy, which contains amphetamines and is common in
large cities, especially at dance clubs. The drug has been proven to cause
a variety of physical and mental problems, McCaffrey said.

Protecting the nation's borders

Although much of Montana's methamphetamine is cooked in labs inside the
state, labs in Mexico continue to supply large quantities of the drug,
McCaffrey said. Canada is also a source of chemicals used to make meth.
Currently, there are about 7,000 border agents, McCaffrey said.

"We need 20,000 agents," McCaffrey said. "I fully concur there is an
inadequate law enforcement presence on the northern border."

A cause for hope

Cocaine use has dropped by 70 percent in the past ten years and
drug-related murders have been cut in half, McCaffrey said. Miami's crack
epidemic has been controlled. Crime has dropped dramatically in New York
City, he said.

"If you can do something about it in New York City, you can do it
anywhere," McCaffrey said. "We are probably getting in front of this."