DRUG ABUSE FORUM SLATED NEXT WEEK

ASHLAND - Those from the FIVCO region who are concerned about drug abuse
are invited to attend a public forum regarding the problem next week
in downtown Ashland.

The forum will be from 1 to 5 p.m. March 4 at the Ashland Plaza Hotel.

It is part of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's Drug Control Policy Summit
Initiative, which calls for selected state, local and federal
officials who work closely with those affected by drug use to conduct
16 meetings across the state for a comprehensive evaluation of
substance abuse in the state. Next week's meeting will be the third in
the series.

"The substance abuse problem in our commonwealth affects all of us,
and it isn't going away," Gov. Fletcher said in a press release
announcing the forums. "It is costing our communities and young people
their health and happiness and our taxpayers the money it takes to
fight the problem."

At the meeting, there will be three panels -- treatment, prevention
and education and enforcement -- made up of experts in their
respective fields from across the state. Attendees of the meeting can
choose which panel they want to address. They may appear before more
than one panel.

Information from the meeting will be recorded and then the panels will
offer recommendations to the governor on establishing Kentucky's first
statewide drug-control policy. Fletcher said the policy will be
designed to "produce greater, measurable results in reducing illegal
drug trafficking and abuse, eliminate duplication and gaps in services
and ensure that the state makes the best use of its monetary
resources."