Wyoming Launches Most Comprehensive Anti-Drug Plan in
U.S.
11/15/2002
Feature Story
by Bob Curley
As many states cut social-services spending and raid their portion of the 1998
nationwide tobacco settlement to close budget deficits, Wyoming has passed a
remarkable piece of legislation that offers a ray of hope to advocates for
treatment and prevention nationwide.
This March, the Wyoming legislature passed
House Bill 59 (HB59), an integrated, statewide alcohol and other drug
control plan funded with proceeds from the state's share of the tobacco
settlement. The measure received bipartisan support and was signed into law by
Gov. Jim Geringer.
"For years, legislators have grappled with how to deal with an increase in
criminal sentences," said Geringer. "But what we haven't done is deal with the
root cause."
"Treatment saves money, and we're tired of building prisons," added Rep. Doug
Osborn, the Wyoming lawmaker who sponsored HB59. "Warehousing prisoners is part
of a revolving-door policy."
Remarkably, the law commits Wyoming to spending about $50 for every state
resident in support of addiction prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
To fund the program, $50 million in tobacco money has been placed in a trust
fund; interest on that fund, plus annual settlement payments going forward, have
been set aside.
To put those figures in perspective, the state of California would have to spend
about $1.5 billion to make the same kind of per-capita investment in addiction
programs, according to Dennis Embry, Ph.D., a prevention consultant and
president and CEO of the Tucson, Ariz.-based PAXIS Institute.
Key elements of the Wyoming plan include a statewide adult and juvenile
drug-court system, investment in outpatient and residential treatment programs,
incentives for establishing drug-free workplaces, and utilizing community
coalitions to coordinating local efforts. Increased inspection of alcohol
outlets to prevent sales to minors is funded, as is a social-marketing plan
aimed at reducing public tolerance for underage drinking. DUI laws are
toughened, as well.
The plan also requires adherence to treatment standards and certification, use
of science-based interventions, data reporting, and outcome measurements.
"We discovered that there were pockets of success here and there, but no
integrated approach to the problems," said Osborn. "Three successful drug courts
had been started with federal grants, but they were running out of funding. Some
treatment was being done in some of the correctional facilities, but there was
no follow-up or reentry programs."
Most Comprehensive Plan in U.S.
Embry, who worked with the Substance Abuse Division of the state Department of
Health to craft a 2001 report on the scope of the state's drug problem and
possible solutions, said that legislation passed in Wyoming is the most
comprehensive plan of its type ever undertaken by a U.S. state. He said that the
rare combination of adequate funding and a manageable population will make
Wyoming an invaluable laboratory for studying treatment and prevention issues
over the next few years.
"If Wyoming doesn't succeed, it will cast a long shadow," Embry said. "It they
can't succeed with this, it will be very difficult for a larger state to marshal
the same kind of resources."
The Wyoming strategy was based in part on "Reclaiming Wyoming: A Comprehensive
Blueprint for Prevention, Early Intervention, and Treatment of Substance Abuse,"
a report authored by Embry and Rodger McDaniel, a consultant with the state
health department.
But the genesis of the legislation can be traced back to 1997, when an advisory
panel was formed to tackle the then-new problem of methamphetamine use and
production in the state. "Methamphetamine hit hard and ruggedly in Wyoming,"
noted Embry, with drug-related arrests increasing tenfold between 1990 and 2000.
Significantly, meth problems crossed racial and socioeconomic bounds, bringing
the drug problem home for middle- and upper-class families as well as the
state's poorer communities. "It was no longer 'those people over there,' and you
can't underestimate that," said Embry.
Faced with an overwhelming problem, Wyoming's Department of Criminal
Investigation director, Tom Pagel, began canvassing the state, telling citizen's
groups that there was no way his officers could arrest their way out of the drug
problem. (When Pagel retired in April, passage of HB59 was listed as one of the
major accomplishments of his 12-year tenure.)
Meanwhile, Wyoming had recently received federal funds to conduct its first
comprehensive epidemiological study, which revealed that 40 percent of the
pregnant women in state clinics were smoking and drinking during their
pregnancy, and 14 percent were using illicit drugs.
Finally, Wyoming received a very public black eye in 1998 when Matthew Sheppard,
a 21-year-old gay University of Wyoming student, was tortured and left to die by
two Laramie youths. It was later revealed that Sheppard's killers both had a
history of drug problems.
"People did a good job of tying all this together" in support of HB59, said
Embry.
Many Factors Contributed to Bill's Success
Osborn said casting the legislation as a child-protection measure was critical
to its passage. "The reason this is not a hot-button issue with most legislators
is that they do not understand the crisis they have on their hands," he said.
"Most of our folks readily supported the plan when they came to understand the
impact alcohol and other drugs were having on our kids, our social structure,
and our state expenditures."
"How many more kids are we going to kill with the alcohol/automobile
combination?" he asked. "Why should we tolerate some of the worst
substance-related statistics in the country? The social costs to families,
babies, and children are just too high."
Wyoming's treatment community, and to a lesser extent, its recovering community,
were instrumental in educating lawmakers over a three-year period about the
extent of the state's problems and how they could be addressed.
The deeper policymakers dug into the issue, the more appalled they were. By
2002, there was a recognition from the governor on down that most of what had
been done in the past to combat alcohol and other drug problems in Wyoming
hadn't worked, said Osborn.
"We took some initial action to shore up what we knew worked -- the drug
courts," he said. "We demanded a comprehensive plan with accountability."
Equally important to the bill's passage, said Embry, was the passionate
commitment demonstrated by Osborn -- a Republican lawmaker not known for his
liberal leanings. "If folks are thinking about doing this elsewhere, they need
to make sure they cultivate allies on the Republican side who have an aura of
integrity," said Embry. "You'll go much further."
Ultimately, the law received support as diverse as the state's treatment
providers and the Wyoming Business Alliance. Some antismoking advocates objected
to funding the project through the tobacco settlement, but lawmakers sought to
address their concerns by integrating tobacco-control efforts into the plan.
Looking for Results
With the addition of a federal State Incentive Grant (SIG), funding for
Wyoming's plan could be boosted as high as $34 million annually. "I think we
have a viable, external revenue stream that makes sense to most people," said
Osborn. "So far, Wyoming has not suffered the effects of the economic downturn
because of our minerals-based economy." Still, he said, there are no guarantees
that the funding will be permanent, so advocates need to remain vigilant.
Embry said that Wyoming officials also need to be mindful of the restrictions
placed on the SIG funds -- which can only be used for programs aimed at 11- to
17-year-olds, and must be based on a risk-and-protective-factors model -- and
how they impact the state's overall strategy.
Embry strongly urged foundations and other government agencies with an interest
in addiction issues to get involved in studying and supporting Wyoming's bold
project.
"People are always talking about comprehensive approaches. Well, here it is," he
said.
