Pubdate: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 Source: Des Moines Register (IA) Copyright: 2007 The Des Moines Register. Contact: http://desmoinesregister.com/index.html Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/123 Author: Gunnar Olson, Register Staff Writer FORUM ON DRUG WAR BRINGS SUGGESTIONS Troops who are fighting the war on drugs across Iowa gathered Wednesday night for a round-table discussion with the state's drug czar. About 20 people turned out at Ankeny City Hall to talk with Gary Kendall, director of the Governor's Office of Drug-Control Policy. The meeting was billed as the first in a series of sessions for sharing information and comparing strategies in the pursuit of cleansing Iowa of drug and alcohol abuse. "Many of you are in the trenches, dealing with people," said Peter Komendowski, president of the Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa, a co-sponsor of the event. "It's very important to hear what you have to say." The nearly two-hour meeting was short on definitive answers but long on ideas, among them: - - Kendall told the audience his office was considering asking the Legislature for an increased beer tax to fund drug treatment and prevention programs. He said federal grant money available in Iowa for treatment and prevention programs has dropped by 50 percent since 2003. - - One audience member recommended that bartenders be required to receive training in the civil penalties for serving to a minor. Such classes are available now but are taken voluntarily. Ankeny Mayor Steve Van Oort opened the meeting with a brief speech in which he cited the difficulty of talking openly about a subject as pervasive and close to home as substance abuse. "That is probably one of the most difficult things I had to talk to my daughters about," he said. "Why is that?" Audience member Dave Wright, a 64-year-old prevention specialist from Urbandale, suggested a "simple way for us to do something." He said Iowans should speak out at the many campaign events that presidential candidates hold here every four years. "Ask them a question directly," he said. Mary Sloan, 58, a prevention specialist from Milford, lamented that much of substance-abuse programs focus on the problems at hand and not the big picture. "What does a healthy community look like?" Sloan posed. "And how can we rally our troops to get it?" Additional meetings are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday in Dubuque and Nov. 19 in Waterloo. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake