LEGISLATION IMPORTANT IN FIGHT AGAINST MARIJUANA, METH

With a stroke of his pen, Gov. Frank Murkowski has completed a
successful two-year commitment to pass legislation critically
important to the safety and well-being of Alaskans.

The governor has signed House Bill 149, known as the "methijuana"
bill. It puts in place important new tools in the fight against
substance abuse and the heartache it causes for Alaska families.

These tools will build upon the drug enforcement initiative that has
been a Department of Public Safety priority under Gov. Murkowski.
Since 2003, we have put significant funding into doing a better job
of meeting our mission to enforce drug and bootlegging laws.

We've added additional troopers. We've reinstituted a unit that
targets major drug offenders. We've worked hard to provide state
funding for local police agencies to offset the virtual elimination
of a federal program that previously provided the funding.

State troopers and our partners in local police departments have been
involved in many significant and successful investigations.

Recent actions included seizing more than 45 pounds of marijuana from
a Bethel trafficker. Nearly 200 meth labs have been closed in the
last five years. An organization has been shut down that was bringing
huge quantities of high quality marijuana into Alaska from Canada.

Aggressive prevention has prevented hundreds of gallons of illegal
alcohol from reaching local option communities. And with the HB 149
restrictions on pseudoephedrine, we expect a lot of meth labs will be
shut down so troopers and police can focus on the drug traffickers.

Methamphetamine is a frightening and destructive drug. It's a plague
from our nation's largest urban areas to Alaska's smallest villages.

It was not that long ago that meth was virtually absent from most of
Alaska and unheard of in rural areas. But that's no longer the case.

HB 149 increases the potential punishment for manufacturing, selling
and possessing meth. It especially takes direct aim at those who make
and peddle this poison around children.

Meth used to be difficult to manufacture. But now it can be made in
the trunk of a car from materials that were commonly available to
anyone. So it's important that HB 149 makes several of the most
critical components of meth more difficult to obtain.

Yes, it will require that customers of cold medications take a moment
to verify their identity to retailers. But this is a small price to
pay for getting rid of poisonous and explosive meth labs.

Much of the debate surrounding passage of this bill swirled around
marijuana. But make no mistake: The marijuana available today is a
powerful and expensive drug that produces a high profit margin for
growers and sellers.

It's often sold one cigarette at a time, so the price remains within
the range of teenagers. Critics continue to claim that marijuana is
still a harmless drug, but they overlook its effect on adolescent development.

The average age of first marijuana use in Alaska is 13.

Studies show that if you give up marijuana, your children are much
less likely to start using it themselves. And marijuana is used by
domestic violence abusers at a much higher rate than by persons
arrested for other crimes. It is present in many motor vehicle
crashes. It is used by many alcoholics and the mentally ill, making
alcohol and mental health treatment more difficult.

Even HB 149 critics admit that marijuana is stronger today. One out
of every 10 users becomes psychologically dependent on the drug.

In the end, HB 149 sent an important message from the Alaska
Legislature: Marijuana is a problem.

Seward Police Chief Tom Clemons, president of the Alaska Association
of Chiefs of Police, commented, "This is an important piece of
legislation for all of Alaska in the fight against these drugs and
one we have waited a long time for."

HB 149 provides new protection for Alaska families.

Bill Tandeske is commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety.