PFIZER GIVES FUNDS FOR DRUG EDUCATION

HARRISBURG -- For the first time in its existence, a multi-billion dollar
pharmaceutical giant has donated funds earmarked for drug education in
Arkansas, a company official said recently.

Pfizer, Inc., manufacturer of over-the-counter cold medicines that contain
pseudoephedrine, a chemical instrumental in the clandestine production of
methamphetamine, donated $100,000 to the Criminal Justice Institute and the
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said Leo Houser, Pfizer
regional manager for government relations.

The funds were made available so that meetings targeted at early
intervention and increasing public awareness about meth and so-called "rave
drugs" like Ecstasy and GHB, could continue, said Vickie Critcher, wife of
state Sen. Jack Critcher of Grubbs.

Mrs. Critcher added that such a seminar would be presented at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday at Harrisburg High School.

"This is important," she said. "This will be the first program we'll do with
Pfizer money."

She explained that to her knowledge, Houser was the one lone Pfizer
executive who stepped up and went to bat for Arkansas.

"He was totally shocked at just how bad the drug situation is in Arkansas,"
she noted. "He took it on himself to see if Pfizer would be interested in
donating some money. It was solely his doing."

Houser said Friday from Little Rock that Pfizer's motivation stemmed
initially from its political interests.

"We spent a good portion of the 2001 legislative session working with (state
Rep.) Jan Judy and Sen. Jack Critcher on methamphetamine legislation," he
said. "Pfizer has been, and remains, very supportive of state activities and
legislation that will increase the ability of law enforcement to effectively
deal with the criminal side of the meth problem and, at the same time, not
create access barriers for the average consumer who just wants to buy some
cough and cold products."

The General Assembly passed legislation that makes it a crime for a person
to purchase more than nine grams per purchase of pseudoephedrine, roughly
the equivalent of three boxes of 96 pills, he said.

"We saw a couple of good products on the market that were being
inappropriately used," he said. "Initially, we were not really crazy about
having any purchase limitations put on any of our products.

"But the more we learned about the problem, we came to realize what we could
live with and what Sen. Critcher and Rep. Judy wanted to do," he added. "We
were sure we could work to find some common ground."

Houser said one of Pfizer's interests is early drug intervention and
education.

"We thought that by donating the money, we could effectively stem some of
the tide, especially with young people, of getting involved with the whole
methamphetamine problem."

Mrs. Critcher noted the funds will be divided further to fund 2-year
programs that allow professionals to address the illict drug issue statewide
with both educators and with the public.

Poinsett County Sheriff Larry Mills, a 20-year veteran of law enforcement,
added the seminar was scheduled at Harrisburg for a number of reasons.

"I'd have to say that we're no different from any community in Arkansas," he
said. "We've got our share of meth problems like anywhere else."

Mills noted "there is a level of violence associated with meth that we have
not seen" with other drugs.

"I've always said methamphetamine is the worst thing that has ever happened
to us as a society," he added.

Mrs. Critcher presented seminars like the one scheduled for Harrisburg to a
number of entities statewide, she noted. However, attendance at the
Northeast Arkansas meetings proved overwhelming, she added.

"We had right around 300 people in Jackson County attend this same seminar
we'll present at Harrisburg," Mrs. Critcher said. "We had right at 600
people attend in Independence County. We had to turn people away from that
one because the room was too small."

Mrs. Critcher, a vocal evangalist who preaches adamantly against drug abuse,
but who advocates implementing drug courts as a judicial option to prison
sentences for addicts, said Mills will be on hand at the meeting and will
bring meth lab components to the seminar.

"We will have a former drug user who has been clean for two or three years
who is a fantastic speaker," she said. "He tells the facts. He tells what
parents need to know."

The seminar is free and open to everyone, she said.