DRUG AGENCY HAS SUFFERED FOR TOO LONG

A lot of things politicians say on the stump can be dismissed as, well,
politics. Some things, however, are impossible to dismiss.

In fact, they are so accurate they could almost be called ... facts.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Haley Barbour made such a statement this
week.

At campaign stops throughout the state - including a meeting Tuesday with
the Hattiesburg American Editorial Board - Barbour criticized Gov. Ronnie
Musgrove for approving a budget last year that slashed nearly $4 million
from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

You may recall that former MBN executive director Don Strange resigned out
of frustration because of steep budget cuts to his agency.

Barbour is right on the mark when he says, "When 80 percent of the crime is
drug related and you cut drug enforcement by 41 percent, it doesn't take a
genius to understand that drug crimes will only get worse."

Regardless of which candidate becomes Mississippi's next governor, it is
imperative the state beef up its funding for drug enforcement.

The chief executive may not be able to appropriate money for drug
enforcement - only the Legislature can do that.

However, the governor can - and must - articulate a vision for drug
enforcement and persuade lawmakers to provide the MBN with adequate resources.

The state's annual appropriation for drug enforcement declined
precipitiously over the past three years - from $15.3 million in 1999 to
$9.5 million in 2002.

Just how little is the state spending to fight illicit drugs?

During his final year at MBN, Strange pleaded with lawmakers to give him
$12 million a year. That amounts to about one-third of a penny for every
dollar appropriated from the $3.6 billion general fund.

One-third of a penny for every dollar in the general fund.

That's not asking too much for drug enforcement, is it?

Apparently it is (too much) in Mississippi.

This is unacceptable.

Before you cast a ballot in the primary and general elections, find out
where the gubernatorial and legislative candidates stand on drug enforcement.

Our state cannot afford to slash additional funds from this important
agency, nor can we afford to continue providing only meager resources in
the face of such a critical problem.