Pubdate: Sat, 07 Oct 2000
Source: Quad-City Times (IA)
Copyright: 2000 Quad-City Times
Contact:  500 E. Third St., Davenport, IA 52801
Fax: (319) 383-2370
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A LOOK AT BUSH'S DRUG PLAN

Here's a closer look at a few of the items in Texas Gov. George W. Bush's 
drug policy plan:

Help countries such as Bolivia, Colombia and Peru promote crop substitutes, 
providing an additional $15 million over five years.

Improve intelligence and surveillance to catch drug smugglers before they 
reach U.S. borders. Continue working with Mexico on drug interdiction. 
Increase funding for interdiction by $1 billion over five years, and 
counter-drug intelligence by $50 million over five years.

Hire more border enforcement officers and focus a "reformed" Immigration 
and Naturalization Service on the job of defending the borders.

Create a Parents Drug Corps, funded with $25 million for nonprofit agencies 
or groups that educate parents about drug prevention.

Increase funding for the Safe and Drug-free Schools Program by $100 million 
over five years.

Award $25 million in grants over five years to nonprofit groups that work 
with small businesses to create drug prevention programs.

Provide $350 million over five years in grants to "double" the 
effectiveness of community anti-drug coalitions.

Expand anti-gang programs modeled after the Boston Gun Project, which 
targets an entire gang through arrests, parole revocations and other 
tactics. Go from 27 to 100 cities at a cost of $25 million over five years.

Do a state-by-state assessment to see where drug treatment is lacking; 
increase federal funding by $1 billion to meet the needs.

Allow charities and community drug treatment organizations to receive 
federal funds without "unnecessary bureaucratic oversight." Provide $250 
million over five years in competitive grants to residential substance 
abuse programs for teen-agers.

Ensure that federal prisons are drug-free, provide more resources for drug 
prevention, testing and enforcement and require inmates and parolees to 
take regular drug tests.

Increase funding by $50 million over five years for drug courts that allow 
dismissed or reduced sentences in exchange for court-monitored drug treatment.

Launch a federal methamphetamine initiative and fully fund the Drug 
Enforcement Administration's meth lab cleanup program.
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