PANEL WANTS STATEWIDE DRUG CZAR

HELENA - Days after Gov. Judy Martz sponsored a conference on Montana's
methamphetamine problem, a panel of lawmakers voted unanimously Friday to
recommend hiring a state "drug czar" to coordinate drug treatment and
prevention programs.

Legislators on the Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim
Committee proposed the new cabinet-level position in a committee bill,
which will have to be approved by the 2005 Legislature before the job can
be created.

The interim committee said someone with cabinet-level status needs to take
a bird's eye view of all the treatment and prevention programs in the
state, and then coordinate them and their resources.

"Methamphetamine abuse is becoming a widespread problem in Montana," said
committee chairman, Rep. Don Roberts, R-Billings. "There should be some
coordinated effort."

Roberts said the drug czar, who would officially bear the title of
commissioner, would be able to consider all the state and federal resources
Montana has to fight drug problems and coordinate them for best use.

While the drug czar would be appointed by the governor, the position would
report to both the chief executive and Legislature.

The czar will work with the governor's Office of Budget and Program
Planning to create a directory of all state programs, funds and grants and
work on budget proposals for drug prevention and treatment statewide.

The committee bill calls on this commissioner to decrease duplications in
prevention and treatment programs and provide the necessary assistance,
evaluations and services communities need to administer the programs.

Roberts said the proposed drug czar would focus more heavily on prevention
and treatment, rather than drug enforcement. He said the people sent to
jail on drug convictions need more help recovering from the addiction that
sent them there.

The committee bill got support from both sides of the political aisle.

"This position is something that's needed to coordinate the comprehensive
problem we have in the state," said Sen. Trudi Schmidt, D-Great Falls.

Schmidt said the problem of substance abuse, especially methamphetamine
abuse, touches everyone in the state, from landlords to employers to school
officials.

"Hopefully, this will help," Schmidt said of the plan.

While the committee doesn't yet know how the position will be funded, Rep.
Edith Clark, R-Sweetgrass, suggested that the money come from savings
realized by consolidation of the more 100 advisory councils that currently
exist in Montana.

Clark said some of the myriad advisory councils could do double duty, and
consequently, some could be done away with to save state money. The
committee voted unanimously in favor of having the state Office of Budget
and Program Planning analyze possible consolidations.

If the new drug czar position passes muster with the 2005 Legislature,
Roberts said the committee hopes to have the job filled by next October.