Pubdate: Sat, 12 June 1999 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 1999, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact: 414-224-8280 Website: http://www.jsonline.com/ Forum: http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgi Author: Jessica McBride of the Journal Sentinel staff KOHL SEEKS FEDERAL MONEY TO FIGHT RURAL 'CRANK' SCOURGE Legislation Calls For Giving More Resources, Training To Small-Town Law Enforcers U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, attempting to give rural communities the kind of help in fighting drugs that more often goes to cities, announced Friday he wants to lead a national effort to curb the spread of methamphetamine. The Wisconsin Democrat will co-sponsor legislation with Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) to provide more than $50 million for "more comprehensive assistance to our rural communities in the fight against meth." The "Rural Methamphetamine Use Response Act of 1999" would create regional methamphetamine training centers for law enforcement and provide more money to help local police agencies clean up dangerous homemade methamphetamine laboratories. It also would direct the U.S. attorney general to create an annual national strategy to fight the use of methamphetamine - a form of which is more commonly called "crank." Kohl also on Friday amended a Senate appropriations bill to include what he is calling the "Western Wisconsin Methamphetamine Initiative." That legislation would make $1 million available to Wisconsin law enforcement agencies. The spread of methamphetamine in Wisconsin must be stopped "before it's too late," Kohl said in a statement. Most resources available to local law enforcement are focused on fighting drugs in Wisconsin's cities, Kohl said. "We do have problems in our cities with drugs, but we can't overlook our rural areas," Kohl said. Methamphetamine causes anger, panic, paranoia and hallucinations. The drug is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system and is highly addictive. Often made in homemade laboratories with common household chemicals, crank has moved eastward across the country. Minnesota and Iowa are struggling with large "methedemics." Earlier this year, Wisconsin Attorney General James Doyle called methamphetamine the No. 1 drug priority for western Wisconsin. He announced a major effort against the drug, and released results of a January study showing methamphetamine use is spreading along Wisconsin's western border from Minnesota and Iowa. The federal bill, expected to be introduced next week, is aimed at areas with populations under 250,000 and over 20,000. Eric Johnson, district attorney in St. Croix County, which has one of the biggest methamphetamine problems in Wisconsin, called Kohl's actions "terrific." "The major deterrent takes place on the local level," he said Friday. "It's (the proposal) terrific as long as the talk is backed up." Johnson said his office's greatest need is for a specialized prosecutor to work on methamphetamine cases. "It's been talked about for 18 months," he said, adding that the proposal was "shot down" recently on the state level. The rural methamphetamine act would: Direct the U.S. secretary of health and human services to submit annually a report on the problems caused by methamphetamine consumption. It would analyze whether methamphetamine use in rural areas is related to a lack of substance abuse treatment there. Provide $20 million to the Drug Enforcement Administration to alleviate the growing financial burden on rural communities, small cities, midsize cities, and other communities resulting from the cleanup of clandestine laboratories and other drug-related hazardous waste from methamphetamine seizures. Give $4.7 million to the DEA to a establish group of 20 Spanish-speaking agents trained in methamphetamine investigations to work with state and local law enforcement agencies around the country. When not made in homemade labs, methamphetamine is often traced back to Mexican drug cartels. Provide $30 million to establish four regional satellite training centers through the DEA for the purposes of training federal, state and local law enforcement personnel about methamphetamine. Appropriate $3.75 million to create specialized schools on clandestine laboratory investigation, and create a program to be dubbed "Train the Trainer" that would help state and local law enforcement personnel train colleagues within their jurisdictions. Make it illegal to steal or transport across state lines anhydrous ammonia, a common ingredient in methamphetamine. Give $500,000 to Iowa State University to continue and expand its research into the development of inert agents that, when added to anhydrous ammonia, eliminate its usefulness as an ingredient in the production of methamphetamine. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D