METH MOST SERIOUS DRUG THREAT IN U.S.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The crippling reach of methamphetamine abuse has
become the nation's leading drug problem affecting local law
enforcement agencies, according to a survey of 500 sheriff's
departments in 45 states.

More than half of the sheriffs interviewed for a National Association
of Counties survey released Tuesday said they considered meth the
most serious problem facing their departments.

"We're finding out that this is bigger problem than we thought," said
Larry Naake, executive director of the association. "Folks at the
state and federal level need to know about this."

About 90 percent of those interviewed reported increases in meth-
related arrests in their counties over the last three years, packing
jails in the Midwest and elsewhere.

The report comes soon after the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy restated its stance that marijuana remains the
nation's most substantial drug problem. Federal estimates show there
are 15 million marijuana users compared to the 1 million that might use meth.

Sheriff Jon Marvel of western Indiana's Vigo County estimates that 80
percent of the inmates in his county's jail in Terre Haute are held
on meth-related charges.

He also points to an operating budget that has risen from $800,000 in
1999 to about $3.4 million last year as the best way to illustrate
the stranglehold meth has on the county's resources.