WARNER SAYS DRUG FUNDS DIVERTED

RICHMOND - Gov. Mark R. Warner is criticizing Republican lawmakers' focus
on the war on terrorism, saying their efforts are diverting millions of
dollars from the war on drugs. Top Stories

"Simply taking away some dollars that were already in public safety and
calling it now homeland security, that doesn't help those first- line
responders [to drug crimes]," Mr. Warner, a Democrat, said recently. "That
does raise some concerns."

In its $50 billion budget for 2003-04, the House of Delegates would divert
60 Virginia State Police troopers from drug-enforcement programs to
homeland security. It also would cut $18.4 million from the Substance Abuse
Reduction and Enforcement (Sabre) program for the treatment of people
convicted of drug-related crimes.

Mr. Warner said he is disappointed with the Republican-controlled House and
Senate earmarking $30 million in fee increases to shore up a $3.8 billion
budget gap, instead of following his suggestion of using the funds for
anti-terrorism efforts.

He said there is evidence of a link between drug trading and terrorism,
which he said is another reason drug enforcement should not be abandoned.
"The fact is, as we've seen, the drug traders sometimes are some of the
ones that [fund] some of the terrorists," he said.

The Senate's budget proposal would not cut any money from Sabre and
actually would restore $5 million to the program that had been cut in the
budget introduced by Gov. James S. Gilmore III, a Republican.

The Senate's budget also would add troopers for homeland security without
cutting the number involved in anti-drug efforts. Under Sabre, about 40
troopers are serving as part of a special task force that works closely
with local law enforcement agencies to eradicate drug traffic and arrest
drug dealers.

The House and Senate will have to hammer out their budget differences
before the legislature adjourns March 9.

State Police Superintendent Col. W. Gerald Massengill said he does not like
the idea of the General Assembly spelling out in legislation how his
department is to deploy troopers.

Col. Massengill said he agrees with Mr. Warner and others who say one area
of law enforcement should not be sacrificed for another. "We don't want to
take away from narcotics interdiction to do that," he said. "We cannot let
our guard down when it comes to terrorism or drugs."

Delegate Vincent F. Callahan Jr., Fairfax Republican and chairman of the
House Appropriations Committee, said the limited resources for public
safety must be shifted because the threat of terrorism is great.

"It's basically because we're at war, and when you're at war, you do things
differently," he said.

He noted that Sabre was devised in the past few years and has never been
completely funded, adding that laws proscribing tougher penalties for drug
violations are still on the books.

But Delegate Brian J. Moran, Alexandria Democrat and a member of the State
Crimes Commission, said both homeland security and drug enforcement should
be priorities.

"Did we end the war on drugs?" Mr. Moran asked. "I didn't know we had
capitulated."