LOCAL DRUG EPIDEMICS SURGE

We're not alone in our drug problems. Record seizures of methamphetamine
laboratories in Tulsa and Oklahoma this year are but a snapshot of the
bigger drug picture nationwide.

A report released by drug czar Barry McCaffrey reflects a surge in
methamphetamine trafficking and use, particularly in the Midwest and
Northwest.

"We do not just have a national drug problem. What we really have is a
series of local drug epidemics," McCaffrey said.

Although the nation's drug problem is not as intense as it was five years
ago, McCaffrey said that "the country is still awash in high purity
low-cost drugs."

And the drug problem isn't isolated to urban areas or to minority
populations. It is pervasive. Methamphetamine consumption, a significant
problem in Oklahoma, is escalating in Washington state, where authorities
expect to dismantle at least 500 illegal labs this year.

Federal funds to help fight drug distribution in high trafficking areas has
risen from $25 million in 1990 to $190 million for 2000.

Imagine how much good $200 million would do if it could be used for other
purposes such as education or health care.

Stories about the drug war are a little like stories about executions. The
public has come to expect them and may feel this is simply the way America
operates.

The best hope for combating the problem is a three-pronged approach that
includes enforcement of drug laws, treatment for drug abusers and
education. Recent surveys of teens show that drugs don't have the allure
they once did. Our best hope for de-escalating the drug war is in a
continuation of these attitudes.