DRUG CZAR: METH BATTLE NEEDS TIGHTER BORDER PATROL, TREATMENT

The next phase in the fight against methamphetamine should emphasize
tightening U.S. borders to prevent drug trafficking, voluntary random
drug testing at schools, and expanding treatment for addicts, the
nation's drug czar said Tuesday.

"Today we have to learn that meth is both a problem on the
preventative side and the supply side," John P. Walters, director of
the White House drug policy office, said during a news conference in
Lenoir with law officers in western North Carolina.

Restrictions on the sale of cold medicines with ingredients used to
make meth have helped several states, including North Carolina,
significantly reduce the number of meth labs broken up by law
officers, government officials say.

But officials say gains made by shutting down local meth labs in
recent years are now threatened by trafficking from super-labs in
California and Mexico.

"We have an enormous problem in the United States because we have a
porous southern border," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., who
sponsored a closed-door meeting for Walters and local law officers to
discuss ways to combat meth. "The demand is still there, the addicts
are still there, and there's now importation of (meth) through western
North Carolina. It's a matter of getting realistic and tough as a
government."

McHenry and Walters said tightening border control would help reduce
trafficking.

Walters also said the federal government supports expanding random
drug testing at schools, an existing program that would remain
voluntary. He said research shows that youth who don't use drugs and
alcohol are less likely to get hooked after age 20.

"We can change this problem in a durable way for years and years by
reducing exposure to young people," Walters said in an interview with
The Associated Press.

Meth addiction often leads to psychotic or violent behavior and brain
damage. People high on the drug will often stay awake for days at a
time. If the drug abusers are parents, children can be left to care
for themselves.

"We've got to start looking at intervention and treatment," said
Sheriff C. Philip Byers of Rutherford County, where meth has been
prevalent for several years.

Walters said his office supports significantly boosting federal money
for treatment programs.

The Bush administration has been criticized for a budget proposal that
would slash federal spending for state and local law enforcement to
fight meth. Walters said the administration is trying to make the
grants more flexible to help the fight against terror and drugs.

McHenry disagreed, saying the Bush proposal wouldn't be approved.
Members of the U.S. House have voted to continue the crime-fighting
programs.

Production of meth began in the western U.S. before spreading east.
North Carolina's foothill and mountain counties have been particularly
hard-hit by the drug. In 1999, nine meth labs were found in North
Carolina but that number climbed to 177 labs in 2003. The following
year, 322 labs were found and 328 were discovered in 2005.

There has been a sharp decline in the number of meth labs found this
year, which North Carolina officials credit to a seven-month-old state
law that limits the sale of cold medicines with ingredients used to
make the drug.

The state Bureau of Investigation counted 139 seizures of meth labs
from January to June of this year, compared with 207 during the same
period last year.

A similar federal law takes effect next month.

"It's a moving target and we have to continue to move with it,"
McHenry said.