DES MOINES -- Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has a message for people who want to manufacture the illegal drug methamphetamine: Don't bother.

Vilsack and other public officials unveiled a new additive to the fertilizer known as anhydrous ammonia that renders it useless to meth makers who might steal it from farms and use it to cook the illegal drug.

"It is an important day for safer communities and safer children in our state," Vilsack said at a news conference held on the steps of the Capitol with a tank of anhydrous ammonia as a backdrop.

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If you found out one of your best friends was selling marijuana, would it change your opinion of your friend or the marijuana?

It sounds like some people in little Wilton, Iowa, are struggling with the news that their mayor, Dick Summy, has been arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana. It's a pretty serious deal for the 56-year-old.

Trafficking is a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Violating the state's tax-stamp law is a Class D felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years. And Sean McCullough, a supervisor for the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Narcotics Enforcement Division, said Monday that more charges could be coming.

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The mayor of Wilton has been jailed on drug trafficking charges following a yearlong investigation by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement that revealed inter-county dealing in marijuana.

Richard Summy, 56, was arrested in Iowa City on Thursday morning on a warrant from Polk County. He remains in the Polk County Jail on felony charges of conspiracy to deliver marijuana and drug tax stamp violation.

Summy has served as mayor of Wilton, a southeastern Iowa city north of Muscatine, for the past three years, City Councilman Ted Glenney said.

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The war on drugs has claimed many unnoticed casualties, including thousands of current and potential college students.

Because of a little-known federal law, many college students are stripped of or denied federal aid because of a drug conviction every year.

Added in 1998 to the Higher Education Act by Congressman Mark Souder (R-IN), the drug provision made it impossible for students with prior drug convictions to receive any financial aid. The provision had destroyed or at least delayed the educational goals of more than 150,000 would-be students. Due to much lobbying by students, the law was scaled back earlier this year to include only those convicted while attending college.

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WILTON -- The arrest of Wilton Mayor Dick Summy on Thursday was the culmination of a year-long investigation, authorities said.

Sean McCullough, supervisor for the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Narcotics Enforcement Division, said Summy, 56, was arrested Thursday morning at the Iowa League of Cities meeting in Coralville on charges of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, marijuana and violation of the state's drug tax stamp law.

Summy is being held in the Polk County Jail on $19,500 bond. His initial appearance is scheduled for this morning. McCullough said the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible.

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I saw an article in the "American Association for Cancer Research" journal noting how "Cannabinoids Induce Apoptosis of Pancreatic Tumor Cells...," describing how THC-9 (the active chemical in marijuana) worked to kill cancer cells.

In fact, from my previous research on the subject, some 10 cancers have already been shown to be sensitive to treatment with cannabis products - most in studies from overseas, owing to the "drug-war" mentality in this country.

The first findings about how marijuana can cure cancer were in Virginia in 1974 (breast cancer was one of the first ones found treatable with marijuana) and the U.S. government did its best to keep this secret.

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He ordered drugs for patients without conducting proper examinations or keeping adequate records

A Council Bluffs doctor accused of loosely prescribing narcotics has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and to stop ordering such drugs for chronic-pain patients.

Dr. Scott Blair was charged in February by the Iowa Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses physicians. The board said that he prescribed addictive drugs to several patients without giving them proper examinations, that he ignored possible signs of abuse, and that he failed to keep adequate records.

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Lab busts are down, but the amount of methamphetamine being seized by the South Central Iowa Drug Task Force (SCIDTF) is rising.

Only 60 grams of the illegal drug were seized in 2004. The drug task force confiscated 160 grams in 2005. So far this year, the amount of meth seized stands at 1,600 grams -- abut 4 pounds.

These figure were released Thursday during drug awareness press conference sponsored by the South Central Iowa Drug Task Force and area law enforcement agencies.

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The struggle to wage an effective war on drugs will continue after government officials recently discovered that their recent $1.4 billion antidrug campaign failed to lure teenagers away from the illegal substances.

However, a different federal study reported that illicit drug use had fallen among those between the ages of 12 and 17 - the demographic group much of the media campaign targeted.

The Government Accountability Office announced Aug. 25 that the failed campaign, which has aired since 1998, did not help reduce drug use. In some cases, the program may have actually persuaded youths that the use of illegal drugs is considered normal.

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There was a reason to celebrate last Tuesday. Many local organizations -- including police departments, county and city offices, media outlets, schools and businesses -- were honored with an award from the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, the Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America for the work they've done to stem the flow of illegal drug use and sales in the Gateway area. But the work is far from over, because while meth labs numbers are decreasing in the state, Iowa still has a high number of drug-affected child abuse cases and the state is above the national average for meth use and binge drinking. And although the number of meth lab incidents is down, the state is seeing more foreign meth or meth imported from other countries to fill the void of what was being produced in the U.S. Locally, several members of the New Directions Board of Directors expressed concerns about the challenges facing the Gateway area in the fight against drugs.

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Mel Gibson's relapse was a public humiliation. Robin Williams, who "found himself drinking again" after 20 years of sobriety, according to a statement released last week, had a private one. Both are back in treatment as some of their legion of followers "tsk-tsk," shake their heads and conclude that two more stars have failed.

But such relapses are fairly common during the lifelong struggle against what science considers the chronic disease of alcoholism. A relapse into renewed drinking, experts say, is no more a treatment failure than is a second heart attack in a cardiovascular disease patient.

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Fran Koontz and Bill Piper both gave evidence in their July 30 articles on how and why the United States is continuing to lose the war on drugs year after year ("Save Money; Cut Sentences for Nonviolent Offenders" and "Rethink Tactics of Drug War?").

The reasons included prisons overcrowded with nonviolent offenders; killings and robberies that are drug-related; corruption of our law-enforcement agencies; and billions and billions of taxpayers' dollars spent every year to enforce anti-drug laws that don't appear to be solving the problems.

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To put to rest any misperceptions that may result from a July 23 article, my compensation for serving as a Rock In Prevention Board member is zero ("Anti-Drug Charity Gave $315,732 to Its Boss").

I am just one of 18 board members. Seventeen are volunteers; one board member is the program's executive director. As most of us are drawn to volunteer for the causes that are the most meaningful to our lives and those of our loved ones, my reward is recognizing that prevention is the solution for healthy and wholesome kids in Iowa.

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Fran Koontz's article regarding her son's imprisonment for alcohol-related offenses is a masterpiece of denial. John is serving a sentence for drug and weapons charges. He began his destructive alcoholic behavior at 18, graduating to meth at 40. [He also had] multiple DUIs.

Despite her repeated protestations that he is a nonviolent offender, hurting only himself and those who love him, he has shown no concern for others who may be on the receiving end of his drunken driving.

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What Is SMART Moves?

SMART Moves (for Skills Mastery and Resistance Training) is a research-based program that teaches youngsters skills to avoid high-risk behaviors, such as drug use, said Sam Carrell, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Iowa.

A Boys & Girls Clubs of America Web page describes SMART Moves this way:

"More than simply emphasizing a 'Say No' message, the program teaches young people ages 6-15 how to say no by involving them in discussion and role-playing, practicing resistance and refusal skills, developing assertiveness, strengthening decision-making skills and analyzing media and peer influence. The ultimate goal: to promote abstinence from substance abuse and adolescent sexual involvement through the practice of responsible behavior."

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Time to cull the hemp. The annual destruction of wild cannabis a.k.a. ditch weed is your tax dollars at waste. Again county resources are used to hunt down and destroy a plant that brought our fathers to America, provided clothing, food and the paper that propagated liberty. Cannabis hemp was a most important resource for life in the 18th and 19th centuries.

I was told the funding for this activity comes from the state. Regardless of where the money comes from, does this activity really justify the cost on the environment? Using harmful chemicals to kill a plant that is non-toxic to humans, resists soil erosion and provides food for small animals and birds is not wise. Pollution from the fuel used and exposure of workers to motor traffic hazards add to the cost of hemp eradication.

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A community presentation entitled "Prime for Life" will be conducted Tuesday, Aug. 8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room at the Osage Municipal Utilities building.

Hosted by Jay Pedelty, a prevention specialist for Prairie Ridge Treatment Services in Mason City, "Prime for Life" is a series of alcohol and drug prevention programs developed by Prevention Research Institute for young people and adults.

Pedelty says the presentation is intended for local health officials, human resource directors, social workers, clergy, educators, court professionals and community leaders.

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It's shocking that another taxpayer-funded director would get caught funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars into his wallet. But, according to Clark Kauffman's July 23 article, "Anti-Drug Charity Gave $315,732 to Its Boss," that's exactly what is happening. Rock In Prevention (RIP), a taxpayer-funded, nonprofit organization, gave its director, Pat McManus, more than $315,000, $123,000 of which was salary; the remaining $192,000 McManus used to pay his own for-profit company for CDs produced for RIP last year.

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What Is The Real Story On The Threat Of Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine has ravaged communities throughout our nation. Meth users suffer devastating mental and physical effects, and they often endanger others. Paranoia, violence, family abuse and child neglect are behaviors associated with meth use.

Equally devastating are meth labs, where toxic chemicals, mixed together by people with no regard for safety, jeopardize neighborhoods. The results have been explosions, fires, toxic waste and poisonous vapors that harm children and first responders.

This drug has been a national nightmare, entrapping addicts and overwhelming community resources. Meth is uniquely threatening because its impact is so disproportionate to the actual number of users.

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Rock In Prevention's spending and effectiveness have been questioned.

Des Moines' controversial anti-drug program Rock In Prevention may soon receive an additional $50,000 in taxpayer money.

U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, a Des Moines Democrat, acknowledged last week that he is responsible for a federal earmark that would route $50,000 in taxpayer money to Rock In Prevention Inc. The organization hopes to receive final approval for the money in the next few months.

Boswell's communications director, Susan McAvoy, issued a statement last week that said, "Over the years, Congressman Boswell has consistently supported efforts to keep kids away from drugs, and he is greatly disturbed and disappointed by recent reports concerning Rock In Prevention. Taxpayers have an expectation that public funds will be used in a legal and reasonable manner."

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