Governor Blunt says he’ll ask lawmakers to approve $1.8 million in funding for a special anti-methamphetamine task force known as MoSMART. The Missouri Sheriff’s Methamphetamine Relief Team stands to lose that money at the end of the year, after it was cut by Congress. MoSMART employs 40 narcotics officers to zero in on the meth industry.

Blunt says he will ask the legislature to approve the money in its supplemental appropriations. The legislature annually considers funding needs that arise during the middle of the budget year and makes adjustments in the supplemental budget bills. Sheriffs throughout the state have complained that vital meth fighting programs will end without the extra funding. Missouri annually ranks near the top, if not number one, in meth production among the states.