President Bush says Americans who buy illegal drugs are helping fund international terrorists. Bush unveiled his national drug control program Tuesday, telling drug producing nations that he will work to cut the demand for drugs in the United States.

President Bush says illegal drug use not only contributes to the breakdown of American families, it helps fund the nation's enemies.

"Drugs undermine the health of our citizens, they destroy the souls of our children, and the drug trade supports terrorist networks," he said. "When people purchase drugs, they put money in the hands of those who want to hurt America and hurt our allies."

President Bush says the former Taliban rulers of Afghanistan made "significant" amounts of money because the country produced 70 percent of the world's opium trade. He says that is money that went to feed and hide those responsible for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. When Americans fight drugs, Bush says, they fight the war on terror.

The president's drug control plan calls for more than $19 billion to stop drug use before it starts while helping to treat those Americans who already have a drug problem. Bush says his program will also disrupt the drug market by reducing domestic demand 10 percent over the next two years and 25 percent over the next five years.

"The best way to affect supply is to reduce demand for drugs," he said. "We can work as hard as we possibly want on interdiction, but so long as there is demand for drugs in this country, some crook is going to figure out how to get them here."

Drug use among American youth has stabilized over the last few years but still remains close to an all-time high with researchers saying one out of every two teenagers has tried an illegal drug by 12th grade. President Bush says that puts the fight against drugs in the center of his national agenda not only to help Americans struggling with drug addiction but to help friendly governments eradicate the drug trade.

"As demand goes down, so will supply," he said. "As we reduce demand in America, it will take the pressure off of our friends in the south. It will make it easier for our friends in Mexico to deal with the drug problem. It will make it easier for Colombia to be able to deal with the growers and the mobsters who tend to wreak havoc in your country."

The president's plan includes more than $2 billion for drug interdiction with $730 million to fund the Andean Counterdrug Initiative to stop the production of illegal drugs in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Some U.S. lawmakers plan to make another attempt to lift travel restrictions on Americans to Cuba. But the Bush Administration remains opposed to the move. 

The House last year passed legislation that would have effectively ended the 40-year ban on travel to the Communist-ruled Cuba. But the measure was never offered in the Senate.

Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota plans to reintroduce a bill that would end the travel ban. Dorgan chairs an appropriations subcommittee that heard from several Americans who were fined by the U.S. Customs agency because they made unauthorized travel to Cuba.

Marilyn Meister testified Monday she has been fined $7,500 for going on a bicycle trip to Cuba. The 75-year-old retired teacher from Wisconsin said she was harassed and yelled at by Customs agents immediately upon her return to the United States. "I was quite chagrined," she said, "to be treated in such an abrasive way by a representative of my own government after a week of seeking to be a laudable representative of my country while in Cuba."

Cevin Allen of Washington State said he was fined $700 for visiting Cuba for only one day to bury the ashes of his parents by a church they built as missionaries. 

The Bush administration has increased  enforcement of the travel ban, which has been eased to allow some food and medicine sales to Cuba. 

Officials say more than 150,000 Americans  visited Cuba last year, but only two-thirds were authorized under provisions for cultural exchanges and limited commercial  activities.

Richard  Newcomb,  director of the foreign assets  control of the Treasury  Department defended the travel ban. He said, "Part of the foreign policy goals 
 

Newcomb and other U.S. officials say the embargo will be lifted only after there is a transition to democracy. Until then, they argue, tourist dollars are propping up the Communist government.

It is an argument echoed by members of the politically influential Cuban exile community. Dennis Hayes is Vice President of the Cuban American National Foundation. He said, "The tourist industry itself is built to funnel money into the Castro regime. This is done through a variety of ways, including the illegal confiscation of wages. This is done through a process whereby unionization is not just illegal, but can result in firings, beatings and imprisonment. 

But Dorgan, noting that Americans are allowed to travel to Communist-led North Korea and China, argues it may be time to reassess U.S. policy toward Cuba because it has done little to bring about change.

"There comes a time when American policy has to be reviewed if you have a policy in place for 40 years and you are not accomplishing your objectives, then it seems to me you might be evaluating whether that policy is working." He said.  "Fidel Castro has been in office during the terms of 10 U.S. presidents. That might persuade someone to start thinking 'you know, this is not working.'"

Critics of the embargo say the best way to bring about democratic change in Cuba is through trade and travel.

One such critic is former U.S. Sen. Dennis DeConcini who said, "If a half a million or a million Americans travel there over a 12-month period of time and spend $100 or $200 million, Cuba would be substantially changed and the government could not withstand the amount of information that would be brought in and made accessible to Cubans. You cannot police that, even in a Communist society in my judgment." DeConcini has made eight trips to Cuba over the years. 

The police were pounding at the door. The car theft suspect looked at the one witness who could provide evidence against him. He took out a .45-caliber pistol, aimed it and fired.

Right into the CPU of his computer.

The arrested man is Javier Santvañez Solano, according to the Judicial Investigating Organization.

The raid took place Monday afternoon in Barrio Don Bosco where police were looking for a man who figured in an elaborate car-theft ring that was based in Esparza and broken up five months ago. Investigators were working on the assumption that additional information they needed was in the computer of Santvañez, said a spokesman.

They said the man fired the pistol with the intention of destroying the computer hard drive. There was no immediate report of the condition of the drive.

Then the investigation took on a serious tone. Police found a large quantity of munitions in the dwelling, 

When they found more explosive materials, police cleared the scene until demolition experts arrived with K-9 dogs.

Investigators said that in addition to the two grenades, six detonators also were found, and these were ready to be wired to a timing device.

Also encountered were other unauthorized weapons, including a mini-Uzi submachinegun, a precision rifle and the .45-caliber pistol.

Investigations expressed their strong concern in finding the explosives. They noted that someone tried to use a grenade against police last week. The grenades might have been appropriated from an arms shipment that moved through Costa Rica, perhaps to an eventual destination with Colombian rebels. They are highly effective within a 20-meter (65-foot) radius, investigators said.

They urged residents to keep an eye out for such material and to treat it with caution, if found.

The international body that oversees figure skating will investigate the judging at Monday's controversial Olympic pairs figure skating competition that pitted Russia against Canada for the gold medal. 

Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the gold over Canadian duo Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, shocking television commentators and many in the crowd. Boos rained down from the crowd when the results were announced. 

The Russian duo skated beautifully during their routine, entitled "Meditation," but made several clear technical mistakes. The Canadians "Love Story" routine was seen as flawless but perhaps less artistically pleasing. 

The International Skating Union says it is doing an "internal assessment" to see if judges at the event followed proper rules and procedures.  Canada's skating association called for the investigation Tuesday and said it may launch its own probe. 

Five of the nine judges for Monday's event favored the Russians, with four of the pro-Russian votes coming from communist or former Soviet Bloc nations: Russia, Poland, Ukraine and China. France cast the fifth vote that gave the Russians the gold. 

The State Department is distributing information to  more than 1,500 U.S. colleges and universities to tell students to avoid drug and alcohol abuse while on   spring and summer breaks.

"The information is provided as part of the   department's effort to inform as many Americans   as possible of hazards they may encounter outside the U.S.," said an announcement. "We endeavor to achieve as wide a distribution as possible to some of our most vulnerable travelers — young people going abroad, some of them for the first time."

The State Department said that each year, more   than 2,500 American citizens are arrested abroad,   about half on narcotics charges, including possession of very small amounts of illegal substances. 

"Young Americans have suffered injury or even   death from automobile accidents, drowning, and   falls, in addition to other mishaps," said the   department release. "While these accidents are   sometimes chance occurrences, many are caused by  alcohol or drug abuse.  Sadly, other Americans have been raped or robbed because they have found   themselves in unfamiliar locales or are incapable of  exercising prudent judgment while under the   influence of drugs or alcohol.