REP. MATHENY PUSHING FOR FUNDING TO DEAL WITH GROWING METH PROBLEM

Though a special task force is being formed at the legislative level
to address methamphetamine abuse, Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, is
pushing to get a bill amended and approved to speed up what he deems
could be a lengthy process to attack the problem. Gov. Phil Bredesen
signed an executive order last Wednesday establishing the Governor's
Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse to "develop a comprehensive
strategy for addressing the manufacture, trafficking and abuse of the
drug," according to a news release from the governor's communications
office.

Meanwhile, Matheny has been trying to get House Bill 2812 approved in
an amended form to provide funding to deal with the issue as soon as
possible through a $9 million grant appropriation.

He said the funding would provide $3 million for law enforcement to
combat methamphetamine abuse, $3 million toward prevention, treatment
and education and another $3 million for prosecuting meth offenders.

Matheny said the state has $115 million available from a budget
surplus that could be used to fund the $9 million to be made available
to counties and law enforcement agencies in the most need because of
previous extreme expenditures made in fighting meth.

The bill is on the House Judiciary Committee's agenda for possible
review today.

Matheny had expressed his disappointment on March 23 about how a joint
state House-Senate committee on methamphetamine legislation agreed to
call on Bredesen to form the task force rather than fund $7.5 million
for lengthier jail terms to combat methamphetamine abuse.

Matheny said it is common knowledge meth abuse has become an epidemic
in rural areas with Franklin County among the state's leading problem
areas.

He said studying what is already blatantly obvious is delaying action
that could begin to reverse methamphetamine's negative trend.

By studying it, the issue will remain idle for at least another year,
Matheny said.

"It could take 18 months to two years before the first punch is
thrown," he said, referring to passing legislation that would
strengthen meth laws.

He said he has ample backing through about 50 sponsors.

"I'm more optimistic than I was," he said, referring to getting the
bill approved.

Matheny has said the penalties for abusing meth should be strengthened
to a point where possession would become a class B felony, instead of
class C, which would make the drug's abuse on an equal par with cocaine.

More severe penalties mean a step toward correcting the problem, he
said.

Matheny said he is also in favor of strengthening laws for meth
abusers who have children in areas where labs are found.

The ad hoc committee, which has recommended that the governor form the
task force, is headed by Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis.

Matheny said Cohen and other legislators from urban areas don't place
the same emphasis on the meth problem as rural areas do.

"With all due respect, they don't have the same problem," Matheny
said.

Matheny and Sen. Charlotte Burks, D-Monterey, have often spoken at
meetings on the meth issue because they represent rural areas where
they say abuse has gotten out of hand.

Sen. Burks and Sen. Jerry Cooper, D-Morrison, have sponsored Senate
Bill 2776 which mirrors Matheny's bill.

The bill sponsors said a year's wait to do anything about an
escalating problem will be harmful.

"We realize that by doing nothing we will be assured that the epidemic
expands from 43 counties to 95 counties unabated," Matheny said.

Sen. Burks recently backed up Matheny's assessment.

"I'm just so disappointed," she said. "I don't know why we have to see
the whole state involved before we decide to get something done."

While committee members agreed any comprehensive plan will cost
millions, they couldn't find a way to fund the proposals during their
meetings in the past five weeks.

Lydia Lenker, press secretary for Bredesen, said a task force could be
a strong first step in combating meth abuse because proper legislation
can be developed and funding can be responsibly accomplished.