After Paul spoke in Louisville Thursday at a meeting of local officials about the pressing need to cut federal spending, Hardin asked Paul if he supported UNITE.
Paul did not answer the question directly, but he did say "I think issues like drug use and abuse are best dealt with at the local level."
If elected, Paul said he would vote to keep Kentuckians' tax dollars at home to deal with issues instead of sending the money to Washington, D.C.
When tax money flows to the nation's capitol, half stays there, half is wasted and half of it goes to political cronyism, Paul said.
"And so I think I would rather see drug abuse and dependency treated and paid for at the local level," he said.
And this:
Local officials reported there were 114 overdose deaths in 21 counties in January and February of this year, an indication of how widespread drug abuse is, Engle said.
"The problem is overwhelming, and the locals are not equipped to deal with it," she said.
Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson, who has seven officers to patrol 500 square miles, said it would be impossible to carry out some drug investigations without federal help.
Last year, for example, his officers took part in a drug investigation that required $12,000 for undercover pill purchases — money his department didn't have.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration provided the money, Johnson said.
"There's certain things I cannot financially do," he said. "Should the federal government step in and help? In my opinion, yes."
Paul's Democratic opponent, Attorney General Jack Conway, issued a news release Friday saying that Paul's answer Thursday about UNITE shows he is out of touch with the needs of Kentuckians.
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/07/10/1343608/paul-local-governments-should.html#ixzz0tLG8yoOw
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