DRUG CZAR LIKES REION'S 'METH WATCH' PROGRAM

John Walters Says The Problem Can Be Stopped From Becoming Epidemic

National drug czar John Walters visited the Roanoke Valley on Tuesday to
lend moral support to Western Virginia's battle against a burgeoning
methamphetamine problem.

Walters praised a "meth watch" program that encourages pharmacists and
retail workers to report large or suspicious sales of cold medicine and
household products typically used to make methamphetamine.

The number of meth labs raided by police in the region more than doubled
last year. But by acting quickly, Virginia can manage the problem before it
reaches the epidemic levels seen in other states, Walters said.

Speaking of the meth watch program and legislative proposals to beef up
criminal penalties, he said, "This is an example of what we have to do to
keep Virginia from suffering what California and Oklahoma and Missouri have
suffered."

Walters, appointed by President Bush to head the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy, appeared at a news conference with Virginia
Attorney General Jerry Kilgore.

Kilgore, who will soon step down to campaign for governor, is championing
legislation that would double the prison sentence for manufacturing meth,
ensure safe cleanup of lab sites, and make it illegal to expose children to
the manufacture of the drug.

Standing outside the Downhome Pharmacy in Troutville, Kilgore also touted
his "meth watch" program. "In this store today, you have the basic
by-products to manufacture meth," he said.

With training videos and a public awareness program, Kilgore's office is
encouraging pharmacists and others to contact police about large sales of
cold medicine, gasoline additives, allergy tablets, coffee filters and
other items used to concoct a homemade stimulant that has replaced
OxyContin as the top drug problem confronting law enforcement authorities
in Southwest Virginia.

In Oklahoma, authorities have taken the "meth watch" concept a step further
by placing cold medicine behind pharmacy counters, where customers must
show an ID and sign for it even though a prescription is not required.
Since the program was implemented, the state has seen a decrease in the
number of meth labs raided.

Kilgore said he's not ready to follow Oklahoma's example.

"We decided we didn't want to mandate where our stores can actually place
the product," Kilgore said. "We believe the voluntary approach we've
employed here in Virginia will work."

Authorities at Tuesday's news conference could not say how many tips have
been forwarded to police under the new program. However, they said that
anecdotal information suggests that police have been receiving information.

Walters said it's up to individual states to decide how to best combat meth
abuse while also ensuring ready access to medicine for law-abiding citizens.

"It's not one size fits all ... in order to be effective," he said.