AG candidate Koster outlines meth legislation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Democratic attorney general candidate Chris Koster is promoting a wide-ranging plan aimed at a reducing methamphetamine use.

The Harrisonville senator wants to increase prison sentences for meth dealers and require mandatory substance abuse treatment for anyone convicted of possessing methamphetamine.

His bill also would start an educational campaign against meth use and create the crime of child endangerment for people caught with meth in their households.

Other parts of his plan would use an electronic database to track purchasers of pseudoephedrine and raise various legal fees to boost the salaries of sheriffs' deputies.

Some parts of Koster's plan also have been proposed by other lawmakers in separate bills.

Missouri leads the nation in meth cases.