Title: BROAD METH BATTLE PLAN IS UNVEILED - BIPARTISAN EFFORT TACKLES STATE 'CRISIS' Author: RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER, Pioneer Press Date: January 7, 2005 Section: Local Page: B6 On this, Minnesota leaders from across party and geographic lines are united: The state must immediately work to counter the scourge of methamphetamine. The fight got another boost Thursday from Attorney General Mike Hatch, who was joined by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher and former North Dakota Gov. George Sinner. They unveiled a proposal -- expanding on similar proposals from Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty -- to rein in meth and its impact. "I don't see this as a partisan issue. ... We've just got to start working together," said Hatch, a Democrat. "We're dealing with a crisis." The proposal would: -- Limit the sale of over-the-counter cold pills. Minnesotans could buy up to 9 grams in 30 days (roughly three to 12 boxes) and require retailers to put such pills behind their counters. Meth makers need cold pills or similar sources of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine to produce the drug. -- Require locks on tanks of anhydrous ammonia, another necessary meth ingredient. -- Investigate whether the state can sue distributors of bulk pseudoephedrine. Large-scale meth makers use the compound in their superlabs. The vast majority of meth bought in Minnesota is made in massive labs outside the state. -- Request an audit of meth addiction treatment programs to explore what works. -- Renew funding for the Gang Strike Task Force. The measures are sweeping and potentially costly in the short term but need to be so, proponents said, because of how pervasive meth is. A cost estimate of the proposal was not available. The drug, which got its Minnesota start in rural areas, has now infiltrated cities and suburbs, filling the state's prisons and jails and addicting thousands. In the Itasca County jail this summer, more than 90 percent of prisoners were somehow involved with meth, authorities said. Crow Wing County, population 57,000, spent $1.8 million tracking, prosecuting and treating meth offenders, officials estimate. "Methamphetamine is taking over the state of Minnesota," Sheriff Fletcher said. "It is ... far more dangerous than any other drug." Democratic state Sens. Wes Skoglund and Satveer Chaudhary and Democratic state Rep. John Lesch will sponsor the legislative parts of the proposal, which also won backing from Sen. Julie Rosen, a Republican from Fairmont who has been a leading voice in her party in the meth fight. "This is a bipartisan approach," said Rosen, who also was on hand when Pawlenty unveiled his anti-meth proposal in October. That package also would limit access to cold pills, create a public awareness campaign and concentrate resources on treatment. Additionally, it would pay for 10 new state narcotics agents, increase penalties for meth makers and create cleanup standards for meth labs. Pawlenty said in a Thursday news release that he looked forward to "strong bipartisan legislation" passing this session. With the high-profile backing and the statewide focus, it seems certain this Legislature will pass a wide-ranging anti-meth package this year. But lawmakers made similar pledges last year. In the end, those efforts got stuck in legislative gridlock. Rachel E. Stassen-Berger can be reached at rstassen-berger@pioneerpress.com. Author: RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER, Pioneer Press Section: Local Page: B6 Dateline: MINNESOTA Copyright 2005 Saint Paul Pioneer Press