The result was a 3-year plan to combat methamphetamine and other drugs in Iowa. Treatment, Upchurch says, is more cost-effective, not only in dollars but also in lives. But Iowans are not ignoring the punitive end. In 1999, the governor signed a law, believed to be the toughest in the country, which gives 99-year prison terms to adults convicted of selling meth to minors. The state's drug control strategy also proposes hiring six additional state drug agents and increasing funding to investigate organized drug crime.
More funding also is proposed for specialized training in methamphetamine for local authorities.
Until we do that, the best law enforcement can do is hold the line.