DEMOCRATS ROLL OUT PLANS TO BEAT METH

Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign on Monday unveiled a
nationwide plan to fight methamphetamine use and production, which has
plagued Missouri since at least 2001, when the state became the
national leader in labs seized.

The plan, announced by Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards, in a
nationwide conference call with reporters, calls for $30 million per
year in additional spending on law enforcement, education, lab
clean-up and measures to prevent common methamphetamine ingredients
from falling into the hands of potential "cooks."

It will be paid for by reductions in what Edwards called "wasteful
government spending," although he did not offer any specific spending
cuts.

Calling methamphetamine "a cancer on rural America," Edwards cited a
79 percent increase nationwide in lab seizures since President Bush
took office as evidence that the drug is a growing problem.

To reduce the trend, the plan specifically calls for tighter
restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine, sold commonly as cold
pills such as Sudafed.

Republicans, however, are skeptical.

"Sen. Kerry says he wants to fight meth, but his record shows he's
voted against stricter penalties for meth cooks and opposed increased
funding to reduce meth manufacturing, possession and use," said
Republican spokesman Rich Chrismer, referring to a 1999 Senate vote.

Methamphetamine use and production has been an escalating problem in
Missouri.

In 2003, 2,858 meth labs were seized in Missouri, compared with 2,748
in 2002 and 2,180 in 2001, according to statistics from the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency. As of August, 1,460 labs had been seized this year.

It has also been a problem in numerous other states identified by
pollsters as "swing states," including Michigan, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania and Minnesota.