Pubdate: Wed, 01 May 2002
Source: Ledger, The (FL)
Copyright: 2002 The Ledger
Contact:  http://www.theledger.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/795
Author: Brendan Farrington, AP

GOVERNOR CRIES AT DRUG SUMMIT

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Gov. Jeb Bush cried briefly during a drug
summit Tuesday as he thanked attendees for their prayers and support
following his daughter's arrest on drug charges.

"I want to thank you on behalf of my wife for your prayers and for
your quiet counseling in the last few months about our daughter
Noelle," Bush said before pausing, putting his hand over his face and
choking back a sob.

"I knew I was going to do this," Bush whispered, as he quickly
recovered. "Anyway, thank you."

Bush was addressing drug treatment and prevention professionals as
well as law enforcement officers at the summit. He talked about the
state's goal of reducing adult drug use.

"It's been tough personally, but it doesn't change my resolve for
making this an incredibly high priority," Bush said. "Bush men always
cry, I apologize. It's a little genetic problem I got from my dad,"
former President George Bush.

Bush's 24-year-old daughter, Noelle, has been undergoing treatment
since her Jan. 29 arrest on charges of trying to buy Xanax with a
fraudulent prescription.

Prescription drug abuse is one of the areas the state needs to focus
on, the governor said.

"These are powerful substances and they can be abused and . . . when
the demon gets inside of you and you're addicted to drugs, you get
really creative in how you use and abuse these drugs to the detriment
of yourself and your family," Bush said.

Florida drug czar Jim McDonough said drug use has gone down over the
past two years, from 8 percent of Floridians to 5.5 percent. He cited
two initiatives, Operation Heat Rave and Operation Riverwalk, as being
effective.

The first focused on club drugs such as Ecstasy and the second was
aimed at stopping cocaine shipments along the Miami River.

"We can reduce drug and alcohol abuse by 50 percent, I'm absolutely
convinced of it," Bush said. "We're on the right track."

Afterward, the governor talked about his show of emotion.

"I get emotional sometimes," he said. "It's not easy to always be
worried. . . . As a dad, I love her very much. I want her to be able
to live a healthy, fulfilled life and we've been struggling with this
for a long time. I don't even know why I brought it up because I knew
I was going to cry. It was stupid of me to even talk about it."
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