EDWARDS OUTLINES PLAN TO FIGHT METH

NEWTON, Iowa - Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards outlined
a plan Monday to fight methamphetamine abuse and argued President Bush has
allowed use of the drug to grow out of control.

"Methamphetamine has become a cancer in rural areas and small towns in this
country," Edwards said in a conference call with reporters immediately
after a campaign rally at Newton High School.

Iowa leaders have struggled for the past decade to contain the growth of
meth sales and abuse, especially in rural parts of the state. And state
officials are concerned about a congressional proposal that would cut
funding to Iowa's anti-meth efforts.

As of Sept. 30, law officers across Iowa have reported 906 meth lab
incidents this year, compared to 791 a year ago.

Edwards described the plan as a three-pronged attack:

* Reduce meth production by making it more difficult to get the drug's raw
ingredients and by increasing existing law-enforcement efforts.

* Increase (http://www.qctimes.com/nie)education about the dangers of= meth.

* Offer financial assistance to communities cleaning up former
meth-production sites.

He said the plan would cost about $30 million, which would be offset by "a
reduction in wasteful government spending."

Edwards criticized Bush for presiding over a growth in the country's meth
problem and proposing a reduction in law-enforcement money directed at meth
hot spots.

"George Bush is taking us in exactly the wrong direction," he said.

A spokesman for the Bush campaign in Iowa, Dan Ronayne, said the president
has led the fight against meth.

"President Bush increased anti-drug funding more than $550 million in his
fiscal year 2005 budget and there has been a 79 percent increase in law
enforcement action against methamphetamine labs since the president took
office," he said.