GOP GROUP - $39M NEEDED TO FIGHT METH

$10 Million Would Go Toward 'Drug Courts'

State government should commit $39 million to jump-start a full-scale
war on methamphetamine, a group of Illinois House Republicans said
Friday, admitting the state's tight budget could make that difficult.

But, said Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, "The bottom line is we're going
to have to bite the bullet."

Rose is co-chair of the House Republican Methamphetamine Task Force,
which held public meetings last summer to develop a strategy for
combating the use and production of drugs, including meth.

The task force's plan includes $10 million to start and maintain "drug
courts," which would allow nonviolent drug users to defer prosecution
or to avoid prison by complying with a regimen of strict supervision,
court appearances, treatment and recovery services.

"These folks aren't just on a short leash, they're on a choker chain,"
said Rose, who co-chaired the task force.

Experts say meth use is dangerous to everyone - and it's on the
rise.

According to the task force, Illinois State Police uncovered 971 meth
labs in 2003, more than double the 403 found in 2000.

Meth is easily manufactured because it involves accessible ingredients
- - cold medicine, batteries, fertilizer. But the combination creates
harmful fumes that can be explosive as well.

The Republicans' plan would:

Make possession of any amount of meth a Class X felony, punishable by
imprisonment of six to 30 years and a fine of $25,000 or more.

Make that sentence conditional, however, allowing for drug-court
sentencing instead.

Direct the General Assembly to appoint a commission with the sole
purpose of drafting a model meth control act.

Increase the criminal fine to all drug offenders by $100, which would
be allocated to local law enforcement for cleaning up meth labs,
employing additional officers for drug-related cases, etc.

Enable local governments to be reimbursed for meth-related
costs.

Michael Weir, spokesman for the House Democrats, agreed that combating
methamphetamine use must be among the state's priorities, and he
expects Democrats to propose their own legislation within a few weeks.

But he said the Republican plan is worth considering - and
researching.

"We welcome ideas from any quarter," Weir said.

Rose said the goal of drug courts is to give addicts an alternative -
a chance to get clean under the strict supervision of the courts and
social services.

Nationwide, those who go through drug courts have a 16.4 percent rate
of repeating a crime, Rose said. He did not know the rate for
Illinois' drug courts, which exist in various forms throughout the
state.

But the state Department of Corrections' recidivism rate for
traditionally incarcerated drug offenders was 45 percent in 2002, he
said.

Rose said the state spends $23,812 annually to incarcerate each drug
offender, versus $2,000 to $5,000 for those in the drug-court system.

He believes the state can save $78 million by dropping the recidivism
rate for drug offenders to 16.4 percent statewide.

The task force would like to take half that - $39 million - to battle
methamphetamine use and production, Rose said.

It is an up-front cost, he said, but the savings are long-term.