John Hoeven on Drugs Republican ND Governor

$4M to address meth and narcotics with more prisons

We are taking up the fight on a number of fronts. We are increasing resources for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation's meth and narcotics enforcement efforts. We are also increasing resources for Drug Court, which can reclaim lives. To fight substance abuse on the elementary and high school levels, we are devoting substantial funding under the federal Safe and Drug Free Schools program.

And, to deal with the growing prison population because of meth, we are establishing a new women's prison on the campus of the state hospital in Jamestown. This facility will result in making prison beds available in our penitentiary system for both men & women offenders--and save taxpayers $22 million.

We must take the makers and dealers off the street, and we must provide law enforcement the resources to get the job done.

States should make drug policy, not feds.

1. Western Governors agree that states, not the federal government, are in the best position to understand the myriad of drug related issues facing their citizens and to initiate and implement drug policy strategies that will combat the substance abuse problems facing their communities.
2. Western Governors support effective law enforcement initiatives and behavioral accountability. Partnerships between enforcement and treatment programs (or efforts) need to be strengthened and supported to enable behavioral changes.
3. Western Governors recognize the escalating costs of incarceration and welcome effective common sense options within the criminal justice system that result in lessened drug abuse, healthier communities, and decreased criminal activity.
4. Western Governors appreciate the unique problems confronting our communities from increased production, distribution and abuse of methamphetamines. The Governors will continue to attack this problem aggressively on several fronts, including enforcement of current criminal laws and expansion of treatment and intervention programs.
5. Western Governors support sentencing laws that retain individual accountability for criminal conduct while administering proportional punishments that are fair and just.
6. Western Governors support efforts to staunch the proliferation of illegal intravenous drug use. Common sense strategies aimed at protecting communities against discarded and potentially contaminated injection drug paraphernalia should be explored. Furthermore, the Governors encourage reform initiatives that will help and encourage injection drug users to obtain information, treatment, detoxification and social services.