JIM GIBBONS, REPUBLICAN candidate for governor, has announced that an important focus of a Gibbons administration and a key project that his wife, former Nevada Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons will champion, is the continued crackdown on methamphetamine use, production and trafficking in Nevada.

"Dawn has already been meeting with law enforcement leaders around the state and we plan to give tremendous emphasis to the problems methamphetamine use and abuse is causing in Nevada," said Gibbons.

In its annual drug assessment for Southern Nevada, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department listed crystal methamphetamine as a top threat. The U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration concurs, listing methamphetamine as Nevada's principal drug of concern. In June of this year, the Reno Gazette-Journal focused on the methamphetamine problem plaguing Lyon County, the fastest-growing county in Nevada for the past four years.

"This is a pervasive problem that is affecting our urban regions and rural counties. While there have been great strides made in the effort to combat the meth problem in Nevada, there is still a lot of work to do to protect our children and our communities from the ravaging effects of methamphetamine use," said Dawn Gibbons. "I am committed to seeing that this statewide problem gets the attention it deserves to help the citizens in Nevada affected by methamphetamine use, especially the children of those who abuse meth."

Dawn plans to continue working with drug-prevention coalitions throughout the state to fund and establish a strategy of education, awareness and rehabilitation efforts. She will continue meeting with law enforcement to discuss ways that could help further reduce the number of meth labs operating in Nevada.

"This is a problem of great concern to Dawn and me, and we feel very strongly that the abuse of methamphetamines in Nevada is an important issue for everyone in our state. Dawn will be a tremendous asset in working with the drug-prevention coalitions and local law enforcement throughout the state to combat this problem," said Jim Gibbons.