METHAMPHETAMINE BRINGS WAR ON DRUGS INTO KANSAS

Kansas is fighting a war against methamphetamine. The battleground can
range from a rural Ford County farm to a house next to a Wichita
elementary school.

Over the last eight years, the production, distribution and use of
meth has become a threat like no other to our way of life in rural
America. Kansas consistently ranks in the top 10 in the nation in the
number of meth labs seized. Despite our efforts to increase funding
and staff to fight the growing meth trade, production and trafficking
of the drug continue to increase. New tactics need to be employed, and
new battle plans need to be drawn.

In order to engage the help of the federal government, I recently
brought to Kansas the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Asa
Hutchinson.

In a meeting with law enforcement personnel from across the state at
the Law Enforcement Training Center in Yoder, Administrator Hutchinson
and I heard firsthand the difficulties facing police chiefs, sheriffs,
district attorneys and others as they battle meth in their
communities.

Their plight is one of shortage -- a shortage of funding, a shortage
of staff and a shortage of options to stop the continued climb in the
growing number of meth labs. As Salina Police Chief Jim Hill put it,
"We are overwhelmed."

Despite our best efforts, given the resources that exist, we are
barely keeping up.

No one agency is in charge of fighting meth, nor is it a law
enforcement fight alone. Due to the destructive nature of the drug and
the effects on its users, law enforcement and community leaders must
work together in fighting production and addiction. We need to have
greater cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies in meth
investigations and seizures.

As a member of the Methamphetamine Caucus in the U.S. House, I will
continue working to bring the attention of Congress to the struggles
facing Kansas. Also, with the help of Administrator Hutchinson, I will
work to re-emphasize the necessity of federal funds in the fight
against drugs here at home.

The war against meth cannot be won on resources alone. More needs to
be done to improve treatment programs and facilities in the state.
Kansas lacks the facilities and funds to adequately treat meth
addicts. The state needs to develop more in-patient treatment
facilities to treat meth addiction.

In addition, better programs need to be developed in our communities
to educate people -- both young and old -- about the dangers of the
drug. Prevention starts at the community level, and everyone should
step forward to aid in this process.

The fight against methamphetamine is far from over. But everyone must
come together to protect our way of life from the terrible
consequences of this drug. We must all do our part to keep drugs away
from our homes and out of our communities.