HOUSE HOPEFUL: ENLIST FEDS IN METH WAR

Democratic Candidate Jennings Promises to Seek More Funding for 8th
District

Vigo County officials already have joined forces to seek weapons in
their war against methamphetamine manufacturing and use, a problem
that gave Vigo County the dubious distinction of leading the state in
drug lab arrests in 2003.

With local and state resources already stretched to the limit -- an
overcrowded jail, full court dockets and a limited number of slots
available in live-in rehabilitation centers -- officials need outside
help, and they're not alone.

On Thursday, county officials got a promise from Jon Jennings, a
Democrat challenging 8th District incumbent Rep. John Hostettler, to
work to bring additional federal funding into the 8th District to help
officials cope with their epidemic. The two will face off in the Nov.
2 general election.

"It is not something we can ignore and hope goes away. We must deal
with it head-on and we must do it now," Jennings said. "This drug is
destroying families. It is draining our law enforcement budgets. It is
overcrowding our jails and it is killing people."

Indiana's 8th Congressional district features eight of the top 11
counties in the state in that category, something that lawmakers, law
enforcement officials and rehabilitation specialists agree cannot be
allowed to continue.

Indiana's 8th District comprises all or part of 18 counties in
southwestern Indiana. Hostettler has held the seat since 1994.

"The epidemic is here," said Vigo County Sheriff Jon Marvel, warning
that whether people want to accept it or not, they're already paying
for the problem in many ways. "It will affect you, individually,
paying your taxes."

Marvel said he will go to the County Council next week with a request
for an additional $250,000 to help pay for medical care costs, many of
them related to illness directly or indirectly associated with meth
use.

Jennings said he would work to bring help from the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration's IDEA program (Integrated Drug Enforcement
Assistance) to the 8th District. IDEA is a package of DEA enforcement
support combined with assistance to community-based prevention, drug
testing and treatment.

"It's not a one-size-fits-all type [program.] I don't think this is a
one-size-fits-all issue," Jennings said.

Local law enforcement and treatment officials agree.

Marvel has chaired a Criminal Justice Council in Vigo County that has
brought leaders together to find solutions to the local problem. The
group has met twice, agreeing that education and treatment are key
issues, along with finding ways to provide judges with more complete
information about offenders so judges can handle cases more
efficiently.

"As a treatment provider here in Terre Haute, I just want to say that
treatment does work," said Julie Baesler, a counselor at Fellowship
House, a resident rehabilitation center on Terre Haute's south side.
The problem is that too many people languish on waiting lists, she
said, running the risk of returning to a lifestyle that includes
illegal drugs.

Hostettler was unavailable for comment. He attended House Judiciary
Committee hearings Wednesday on the Marriage Protection Act, an act he
introduced. Joined by family and marriage groups, he conducted a news
conference Thursday about the act, which will be scheduled for a vote
in front of the House next week.

That news conference was followed by an Armed Forces Committee
hearing.

The Marriage Protection Act would limit jurisdiction of the federal
courts over questions arising from the federal Defense of Marriage
Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996.