GOVERNOR TO UNVEIL ANTI-DRUG PROJECT

The illegal drug ecstasy is becoming increasingly popular in Illinois,
especially among young people, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants to
reverse that trend before it "rages out of control," a spokeswoman
said Monday.

In his State of the State address Wednesday, the governor will call
upon lawmakers to establish "Project X," a $2 million initiative,
spokeswoman Cheryle Jackson said. The main goals are to adopt a more
aggressive approach toward ecstasy dealers and to reduce demand for
the so-called club drug.

The Illinois State Police and Department of Human Services would
oversee the program.

Most or all of the funding for Project X would come from the sale of
cars, property and other assets that state police seize from drug
dealers, Jackson said. That would make the initiative "budget
neutral," she added.

Project X, which is part of Blagojevich's crime agenda, would consist
of three components.

The first involves increased funding and staffing for the
Chicago-based "club drugs task force," which is made up of federal,
state and local law enforcement officials. The task force now gets
$400,000 in funding from the federal government.

One state trooper works full time with the task force, Jackson
said.

She said Blagojevich wants Illinois to invest $800,000 more, with the
money coming from drug dealers' seized assets, and he wants to boost
the number of state police working on the task force.

Another component of Project X would focus on college campuses, with
state police conducting undercover operations that target traffickers
of ecstasy and other club drugs, Jackson said.

The third piece of Project X is a statewide awareness campaign that
aims to warn parents and youths about the dangers of using club drugs,
Jackson said.