Law Leads To Drop In Labs; Mexican-Made Version More Prevalent

TULSA, Okla. - A widely copied Oklahoma law that has led to a dramatic drop in small-time methamphetamine labs has done little to curtail meth abuse overall. Users are turning to Mexican-made versions of the highly addictive drug, according to drug agents and others dealing with the problem.

Mexican drug cartels that have traditionally focused on trafficking cocaine, heroin and marijuana are now adding methamphetamine to their supply, said Lonnie Wright, director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

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Oklahoma's anti-meth legislation has served as a model for many states considering a crackdown on their drug cooks. It limits purchase of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine and requires buyers to show identification and sign for the pills, just like certain narcotics that are behind the counter.

It has been credited for reducing the number of illegal methamphetamine laboratories operating in rural and urban areas. Now, the federal legislation being considered could pre-empt the successful state laws, according to the Tulsa World's Washington Bureau.

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A settlement between Walgreens and law enforcement agencies will be discussed at a press conference at 10 a.m. today at U.S. Attorney's Office in Oklahoma City.

A spokesman for Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said he could not discuss details of the settlement Wednesday because not all agencies involved have signed the agreement.

Mark Woodward, OBN spokesman, said investigations into pharmacies' violations of Oklahoma pseudoephedrine laws were concluded last week.

"We investigated all the Walgreens stores in Oklahoma," Woodward said. "But we also checked the logbooks of other pharmacies across the state.

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During this last legislative session, we saw historic progress as the debate at the state Capitol fundamentally changed for the better -the biggest tax cuts in Oklahoma's history, stronger pro-life laws, new investment into our roads and bridges and fundamental workers' compensation reform to help Oklahoma businesses.

But there's one success story you may not have heard about. They're called "drug courts."

This year, the Oklahoma Legislature invested $8 million in the expansion of drug courts, tripling the investment in this program. The new money will expand 22 existing courts and create 10 new courts in the state. This innovative program sends qualifying drug offenders to treatment rather than to a prison cell. The program includes close supervision and constant drug testing.

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Oklahoma has made real progress in the fight against methamphetamine. But across our country, other states are beginning to feel its drastic effects. Public officials, and certainly law enforcement, in nearly every state and large city have acknowledged the scourge of meth. When the National Association of Counties recently asked law enforcement agencies across 45 states about meth, 87 percent reported increases in meth-related arrests starting three years ago. Fifty-eight percent said meth was their biggest drug problem, estimating that one in five of their current jail inmates were housed because of a meth-related crime. Local officials also reported higher rates of robberies, domestic violence, assaults and identity thefts as a result of increased meth use.

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Some DAs Pay Court Costs, While Others - Including Muskogee - Don't

Some district attorneys in the state pay court costs on forfeitures and some don't, costing county court clerks thousands of dollars annually, the Phoenix has learned. Apparently the law governing the issue is unclear or goes unheeded, leaving the decision to pay or not pay up to district attorneys. The Muskogee County Court Clerk's Office has billed District Attorney John David Luton $20,871 since 2004 for court costs on civil forfeiture cases. Luton said his office does not owe the unpaid court fees. Several state judges and district court clerks in counties where the court fees are being paid on forfeitures disagree.

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MADILL - A police officer accused of buying methamphetamine from an undercover agent while being videotaped faces a felony drug charge in Marshall County District Court.

Michael J. Stephenson, 50, was charged Friday with felony possession of a controlled dangerous substance within 2,000 feet of a park, according to Marshall County court records. He also was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors. He was suspended with pay Thursday.

Stephenson is accused of buying $30 worth of meth from an undercover Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics agent in a park, spokesman Mark Woodward said. The transaction was videotaped by OBN agents.

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The Laura Dester Shelter here is licensed for 38 children, but at times in the past months it has housed 90, forcing siblings to double up in cots.

It is supposed to be a 24-hour stopping point between troubled homes and foster care, but with foster homes backed up, children are staying weeks and sometimes months, making it more orphanage than shelter, a cacophony of need.

In a rocking chair, a volunteer used one arm to feed a 5-day-old boy taken from his mother at birth, the other to placate a toddler who was wandering from adult to adult begging, "Bottle?" A 3-year-old who arrived at dawn shrieked as someone rubbed salve on her to kill lice.

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Jeff Pickens Stillwater

Oklahoman James T. (name changed) is an ex-Marine, family man, business owner, Mason and community volunteer. James was badly injured during military duty.

Large doses of Oxycontin were prescribed. He found himself unable to function in his daily life.

James discovered medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana allowed him to lower the doses of Oxycontin and still experience sufficient pain relief. He was soon able to work again, provide for his family and enjoy his daily life.

James began to grow his own medical marijuana.

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Now that Oklahoma has increased the funding for the state's drug court program this year, taxpayers should expect results from their investment.

A study by the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center early this month concluded Oklahoma's drug court per capita funding now tops that of 34 other states with similar programs. Drug court funding in Oklahoma now stands at $11.5 million, triple the budget for last year.

Many for some time in the state have called for increased funding for rehabilitation programs, as opposed to increased incarceration for those convicted of crimes involving drug use. More than a year ago, the Oklahoma Sentencing Commission proposed several recommendations to the Legislature involving improved probation services, intermediate sanctions for offenders on probation instead of revocation and an expansion of substance abuse treatment programs.

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Regarding the letter from Mark Woodward ( Your Views, June 30 ): It's absurd to think a school bus driver, train engineer, pilot, automobile technician, electrician or surgeon would indulge in the use of any mind- altering substance while in the performance of their duties if we altered our punishment for drugs. I'm sure those persons would no more show up for work high on drugs than they would show up drunk on alcohol. We shouldn't be subjected to scare tactics of those in charge of enforcing the laws of our state. Rather than trying to convince us that we should be so afraid of those persons who abuse illegal drugs that we should throw them in prison to keep them away from the rest of us, we should rationally try to understand why they are self-medicating and work together to find a solution to this problem. Why promote the incarceration of offenders and then return them to our communities with the same addiction? I would suggest that we all encourage our law enforcement officials to seek increased participation in programs such as drug courts.

Lawton

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If drugs were legalized tomorrow, would you use cocaine? Would your next-door neighbor begin cooking meth? Mark Woodward ( Your Views, June 30 ), spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, seems to be trying to scare us into thinking this would happen. I wonder if he and his colleagues are afraid of losing their jobs? They need not fear. If drugs were legalized and controlled, meth would be manufactured in an OSHA-approved and inspected facility. Cocaine would be sold in licensed drug stores. Bus, train and truck drivers and airline pilots would be required to prove that their performance isn't degraded, by submitting to performance tests. And just as parents teach their kids not to play with dangerous household cleaning products, parents would be teaching their children not to play with drugs. As for Woodard and most of his comrades, they would merely have to turn in their guns and would probably be reassigned to a different government agency.

Richard Prawdzienski

Edmond

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I hope I'm not the only one who would expect less hyperbole and more factual discussion from the spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. Mark Woodward ( Your Views, June 30 ) begins by claiming that legalizing certain drugs would lead to black market production. If drugs were legal to buy, this would cause companies to produce and sell them, putting street dealers and producers out of business. There is a reason Woodward doesn't see reports of illegal alcohol operations being busted on the local news. For that reason, he doesn't see people producing morphine or Tylenol in their bathtubs.

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Regarding Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control spokesman Mark Woodward's listing of the horrible things he says would happen if drugs were legalized ( Your Views, June 30 ): First, there wouldn't be drug dealers and meth labs in neighborhoods anymore. People would simply go to the store and buy their drugs like they do alcohol and tobacco. Next, drug legalization would no more legally allow people to "drive a school bus, a train, or fly an aircraft" than legalized alcohol allows drunks to do so now. As for mechanics, electricians and doctors working while under the influence of drugs, I sure hope not. Just like I hope they -- and police officers, firefighters, day-care workers, bulldozer operators and lawmakers -- haven't slugged down a six-pack before heading to their jobs. Finally, Mr. Woodward, as someone who favors drug legalization, I'd be happy to explain to children or adults why drug decriminalization would do far less harm than prohibition. You name the time and place.

Clark Duffe

Edmond

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The FBI should investigate the Muskogee County District Attorney's Office given the problems the state found with the bookkeeping in its forfeiture cases.

Wednesday, State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan characterized the books in John David Luton's office as a "mess."

While state Attorney General Drew Edmondson said Thursday that he didn't believe the audits required an investigation, he admitted they "suggest areas that need improvement."

Unfortunately, the attorney general ignores the fact the office was told in 2002 its recordkeeping needed improvement. The failure of Luton's office to take care of problems two years ago is, at the very least, a sign of very poor management.

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As prescription drug abuse continues to increase nationwide, Oklahoma's drug agents are expanding their ability to track the sale of popular but addictive medications.

Forged prescriptions, teenagers bringing prescription drugs to school and a rise in deaths from the abuse of controlled drugs have become a societal plague, officials said.

Changes are occurring.

"We started back in 1990 putting together a prescription monitoring system for category two drugs, which is the highest level of drugs, such as codeine or morphine," said Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

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Being atop national rankings on corrections-related spending isn't always a good thing. Oklahoma is well known for its tough-on-crime attitude that lands plenty of people in prison.

But legislators' willingness to put more money into drug courts as an alternative to imprisonment means Oklahoma will spend more per capita this fiscal year than any other state on drug courts, according to a new analysis from the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center. Obviously it's not good that Oklahoma has so many people with drug problems. It's positive, though, that there's even a slight shift in the attitude that helping some defendants turn their lives around is better than sending them off to prison for long stretches.

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White-collar crime is becoming an addict's favored way to get cash for drugs or the supplies to make them, authorities say.

"It's easier to rob a man of $30,000 with his Social Security number than put a gun in his face," said Jeff Shelton, assistant agent in charge for the Oklahoma City field office of the Secret Service.

Shelton said about half of all crimes worked by his identity theft task force have a link to drugs.

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State audits released Wednesday on forfeitures by the Muskogee County District Attorney's Office mirror allegations of illegal forfeitures against the office in two federal civil-racketeering cases in Muskogee.

Kimm and Ruth Bushey filed one of the cases against District Attorney John David Luton, his chief investigator and office manager Gary Sturm and his drug task force. The other case against the same defendants was filed by Margaret Baude.

Plaintiffs in both cases allege Luton and his employees illegally confiscated and sold thousands of dollars worth of property belonging to them.

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Muskogee County District Attorney John David Luton's office continues to violate state forfeiture laws, the state auditor said Wednesday.

For three years Luton's office has forfeited property without a court order, failed to keep a complete inventory of seized items or receipt or deposit funds seized years earlier, according to state audits for 2003 and 2004 released Wednesday by the State Auditor and Inspector's Office. Similar findings were noted in a 2002 audit.

"I haven't found any (district attorney forfeitures) that were in this big a mess," said State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan. "I don't know of any that have had these problems. This has been about as bad as I've heard of."

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