DRUG GRANT NEW ANTI-SPEED FUNDING IS A GOOD FIRST STEP

Well-targeted federal grants hold the promise of keeping drug problems from
becoming drug disasters. That's the philosophy behind the Justice
Department's recent decision to award Dallas and five other cities up to
$750,000 each to develop community policing strategies to counter the spread
of methamphetamines.

This should serve as a wake-up call to Texans. Sure, the best-known illegal
substances in the state continue to be cocaine, heroin and marijuana. But
methamphetamines - which jump-start the central nervous system and can
result in severe dependency - have suddenly established themselves as a big
seller in the Southwest.

Cheap and easy to make, the drug popularly known as speed, crank or meth is
manufactured both in Mexico and the United States. In 1997, Texaswas one of
the top 10 states in the number of methamphetamine labs seized (23). Last
year also saw Dallas become the site of the largest multi-jurisdictional
methamphetamine investigation conducted in the United States, according to
Rep. Pete Sessions.

The grants were distributed based on the following criteria: the number of
laboratories seized; the number of methamphetamine-related deaths; the
percentage of people arrested who tested positive for methamphetamines; and
the number of admissions for meth-related addiction. Also receiving grants
were Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, Little Rock and Minneapolis.

At this point, members of the Texas congressional delegation need to be
closing ranks and doing more. To her credit, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has
successfully gotten the Senate to earmark an additional $5 million for drug
enforcement programs. But the failure to get Dallas-Fort Worth designated as
a high-intensity drug trafficking area means local law enforcement could be
denied millions in badly needed drug enforcement resources.

Undeterred by the recent failure of their amendment seeking high-intensity
status for the metroplex, Reps. Sessions and Sam Johnson are trying to
enjoin key committee chairmen in a colloquy on the floor of the House. The
Dallas-area congressmen rightly argue that more funding should be set aside
for high-intensity areas, and that drug czar Barry McCaffrey should be
allowed to choose them.

If the decision turns on merit, the designation of the metroplex is
inevitable. And the sooner that happens, the sooner law enforcement can step
up its challenge against drug dealers who prey on metroplex communities.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett