Bullock discusses Justice agenda
When the Gaming Advisory Council meeting in Billings concluded in the early afternoon of May 18, Atty. Gen. Steve Bullock took some time to meet with the Gaming Industry Association Board of Directors who were conducting their annual convention simultaneously.
He acknowledged DUI offenses would be a major issue during the 2011 legislative session and would have an effect on licensed businesses, but noted he did not campaign on the issue. Rather, he said, the issue has mushroomed on its own, and for himself personally, when two Highway Patrolmen were killed in drunk driving crashes.
"I'm not anti-alcohol, but I am anti-DUI," Bullock said.
In light of that, action on DUI reduction is clearly called for, Bullock said, and so he has instituted a pilot program in Lewis and Clark County for second and subsequent DUI offenders to abstain from alcohol completely between arrest and adjudication of the case. That requires the person charged to twice daily be tested for alcohol consumption; any evidence of alcohol and the suspect goes directly to jail.
Bullock said a similar program has been implemented in South Dakota and so far results there have been encouraging.
Bullock said he did campaign on reducing prescription drug abuse which is a far more serious – and deadly – social problem than methamphetamine abuse. He said there were 12 deaths attributed to meth last year while 321 deaths were linked to prescription drug abuse, particularly to the highly addictive oxycontin and hydrocodone.
"Montana ranks third in the nation per capita for youth abuse of prescription drugs," Bullock said, "and 70 percent of the supply comes from legal prescriptions obtained by friends and family that get diverted.
"We're working on creating a prescription registry – a database – to identify people who go to multiple doctors and get multiple prescriptions," he said. "Forty-one other states have these."
He told the GIA directors his department secured a $1.2 million grant for prescription drug investigators and prosecutors. The justice department is also helping to implement "Operation Medicine Cabinet" which encourages people to turn in outdated prescriptions for all drugs (flushing them is discouraged as medication pollution of the water supply is a real problem).
A recent "drug take-back day" in Missoula netted 130 lbs. of prescription medication, Bullock said. "We need to be educating families and the Legislature. We want the Legislature to pass a prescription drug registry."
Despite that, Bullock has been working to raise $300,000 from the private sector to launch a media campaign on the prescription drug problem. So far, he said, $125,000 has been raised including a $25,000 contribution from Town Pump. "It's not so much a law enforcement issue as a public health issue," he said.
A $300,000 campaign, though, pales in comparison to the $72.5 billion currently spent on diversion, treatment and the effects of abuse, much of it in insurance claims, he said. "We can change the dynamics."
Bullock said another issue his department is pursuing is child safety as it relates to the Internet where dangerous child predators are known to lurk. Currently only two officers in the department are working on the problem and Bullock said he intends to intensify the effort.
When it comes to legal gaming, Bullock said he and the Gambling Control Division are always seeking ways to make gaming business operations – and regulation – more efficient. He cited good work that has been done to simplify and streamline the license amendment process, update bingo rules and get in place a "stale date" for gaming machine win vouchers.
He also noted 99 percent of the state's gaming machines are now reporting play activity to the state electronically and automatically, the result of nearly 17 years of struggle and work.