RAISING MONEY 'VITAL' FOR COMBAT

Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of the national Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment, told a gathering of COMBAT agencies Friday that raising the
profile of drug treatment and prevention is vital in the fight against
substance abuse.

"You have to demonstrate that you are getting results to the people that
pay the bills," Clark said. "Because, if you can't open your doors
tomorrow, how many people will you help?"

Clark's agency is the top substance abuse center at the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. He praised COMBAT's unique combination of law
enforcement, treatment and drug abuse prevention in a holistic approach to
"ending the scourge of substance abuse."

COMBAT, the Jackson County Community Backed Anti-Drug Tax, is a 1/4-cent
sales tax collected throughout the county. The tax brings in about $18
million annually for programs targeted at substance abuse.

Clark said the COMBAT tax is unique in the nation as an approach to drug abuse.

"We are always paying for the consequences of substance abuse, but here we
see a community that says we need to pay for some of the solutions. And
they back it up with their own dollars," Clark said.

Clark's comments were the keynote address at the COMBAT spring conference.
His focus on raising the profile of services was especially timely in light
of severe state budget cuts for mental health services.

Michael Couty, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, told
the group that the proposed state budget would cut $92 million from the
Department of Mental Health. About $17 million of those cuts would be in
substance abuse funding.

Gov. Bob Holden has proposed to use the state's Rainy Day Fund to cover
some of the cuts.

"We are at the rainy day point, and it won't stop raining anytime this
year," Couty said.

Couty encouraged the COMBAT agencies to contact local legislators and
emphasize the importance of state funds for substance abuse programs. Even
if the Rainy Day Fund is accessed, however, the Depart ment of Mental
Health stands to lose about $2 million in substance abuse funds, starting
July 1.

Debbie Price, school services coordinator at Comprehensive Mental Health
Services in Independence, said she is worried about the loss of state funds.

"We are hopeful though that, as one part goes down, the others will remain
stable," she said.

COMBAT provides partial funding to many agencies, including CMHS, that also
are supported by the state. The funding loss comes just as COMBAT is
beginning to get solid indications of its success.

Alcohol, tobacco and drug use has fallen significantly among Jackson County
teens since the advent of COMBAT in 1989, according to a report released by
the Kauffman Foundation last month. The report states that, among 8th grade
students, cigarette use is down 12.5 percent; alcohol use is down 7.2
percent, and smokeless tobacco use is down 17.5 percent. Less dramatic but
similar results were found among 10th and 12th graders, though marijuana
and opiate use was up slightly.

"That brings us right in line with the national averages, which is way down
from where we were nine years ago," said Jim Nunnelly, COMBAT anti-drug
program administrator.

COMBAT agencies are gathering solid statistics on treatment success, and
early outcomes from programs like the Jackson County Drug Court are
encouraging, Nunnelly said.

COMBAT will try this year to quantify its level of success and spread the
message to the public. Voters will be asked to renew the 10-year tax before
it expires in March 2004.