Oregon Public Broadcasting

In the coming weeks, Oregonians are being asked to select a new lawyer for the state. Attorney General Hardy Myers is resigning. The election will very likely be decided in the Democratic primary, since no Republican candidate is running this year.

We've asked the two frontrunners to talk about issues they consider central their approach. Thursday on Morning Edition, we heard from  Greg Macpherson on sentencing policy. Now, April Baer talks to John Kroger about meth abuse.

John Kroger's standing in front of a huge picture window. The scene outside his Portland campaign headquarters in the urban Old Town district  isn't always pretty.

John Kroger: "One of the things that's amazing about this space is we're not only surrounded by  lots of folks who are needing drug treatment. We're right near Central City Concern, one of the largest drug treatment providers in the city. We see hand-to-hand drug deals within a block of our campaign headquarters. I saw one just two days ago."

This office used to be a tattoo parlor. Now it houses a Kroger campaign  in which the candidate is promising to fight meth abuse, and the societal problems it causes.

In recent years, meth has taken a back seat to issues like the economy and the war. State leaders have made  major progress shutting down small local  meth labs. But ask anyone in law enforcement or the health care industry, and you'll find the trade is booming.

At  five o'clock, recovering meth addicts start to flood the phone lines and staff at Changepoint. This is one of the best known treatment centers in the state -- famous for its evidence-based studies on addiction.

Director Chris Farentinos says Oregon might have a shot at beating meth if the state could get behind two goals.

Chris Farentinos: "A combination of treatment, as well as a collaboration with law enforcement work together toward improving the system. I would say this would be the perfect world."

It's been a tough ride for those fighting against meth. Lincoln County's Rob Bovette has a bird's eye view. He's a lawyer for the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association.

Bovette says in the past few years, recession-related cutbacks, and  new pressures on the prison system, have gutted Oregon's capacity to fight meth.

Rob Bovette: "It was almost a perfect  storm of hits on all the things you just mentioned, plus additional hits as well from the federal government, to local government, to limitations on taxation, to a variety of things that kind of all hit us simultaneously."

Bovette says that while the fight against meth abuse is broad, a state attorney general definitely plays an important - if limited -  role.

John Kroger says if he's elected attorney general, his long term goal will be to reduce  Oregon's prison population and  the  money spent on prison facilities.

John Kroger    "The question is how do you accomplish that. Some people say the answer is letting violent criminals out early. I think the answer is: you reduce the crime rate.

Kroger's attempting a balancing act between tough talk and a kinder, gentler rhetoric. He spent years as a federal prosecutor, going after organized crime. He calls it ideal experience for chasing the drug dealers and their big Mexican suppliers.

He supports some mandatory sentences for repeat drug traffickers, but also spends a lot of time on the stump talking about treatment. He says Oregon must commit more resources to rehab to bring down demand for meth.

This is where his platform runs into some complications.

Kroger's   stance on sentencing issues has won him some allies -- including most of the state's district attorneys.

Some advocates for crime victims support him -- and their backing could be key. But a political fight is brewing this fall over mandatory sentencing, with two ballot initiatives in the pipeline.

Kroger might be asked to reconcile his stances on violent and non-violent offenses.