Weekly Column:   –  “Multi-jurisdictional Drug Task Forces are a crucial partnership of federal, state and local resources that combine to fight drug production and trafficking in Southern Missouri.  We have four in the 8th Congressional District: the South East Missouri Drug Task Force, the South Central Missouri Drug Task Force, the Bootheel Drug Task Force and the Mineral Area Drug Task Force.  Every year, I request targeted federal support for these groups, and every year, Congress agrees this is an important, effective use of our law enforcement dollars.

This year is no different, and the Congress has already expressed early support for these drug task forces as effective ways to combat the spread of methamphetamine, and meth production, in our region.  Some $650,000 has already been set aside in the Department of Justice appropriations process for our drug task forces in the Eighth Congressional District.

Though these groups are often on the front lines, they are not alone in their battle against the scourge of drugs, particularly methamphetamine, in our congressional district.  There are more front lines, in our schools where drug education and DARE groups deliver a positive message to our children.  County and municipal law enforcement agencies, in addition to helping with educational prevention efforts, also conduct the local policing that curbs drug activity.

Another critical front line exists in drug treatment, especially for juveniles, at treatment and recovery facilities in our district.  And perhaps the most important front line exists in the home, where education about the dangers of drug use begins and problems can be identified and addressed before they spin out of control.

In tabulating its statistics for 2008, one of our drug task forces is reporting that we could see a doubling of meth lab seizures this year.  That acceleration of activity in Southern Missouri is a reminder that our drug task forces, state and local law enforcement, teachers and parents must be constant and vigilant in their efforts to curb drug production and prevent drug use.

At the federal level, more attention should be paid to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, which directs grants to geographic areas where drug activity occurs often, and to the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program, which focuses on increasing the number of law enforcement personnel in our communities.

Those grants translate into equipment, personnel, and the basic costs of running an operation devoted to stopping drugs from entering our cities and towns.  Investigations into drug operations are time and manpower intensive, therefore federal monetary assistance is vital to ensuring the drug task forces are effective.

In recent years, the major point of entry for methamphetamine had been the U.S. - Mexico border.  That method of trafficking drugs is changing again, however, as meth dealers figure out new ways to produce these dangerous drugs in rural areas.  We have a new set of challenges to find and destroy meth labs and the criminal organizations that market the drugs in our region.  I am sure the drug task forces in our area are up to the challenge, because we have not wavered in our support for them over the years.

I’ve met family members who have dealt directly with the up-close horror of losing a loved one to a life – and even death – consumed by drugs.  We must have the will to stand up to illegal drug  distribution in our communities, the courage to deal with all of drug use’s victims compassionately, and the vision to stop drug addiction before it starts.  There are many front lines in the battle against drugs, and those Missouri men and women who are on them deserve our thanks and our support.”