WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was awarded the Drug-Free America Guardian Award on Tuesday for his efforts to combat substance abuse. The award recognized Hatch for working to create the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign as well as for sponsoring legislation dealing with the drug problem. "On the issue of substance abuse, we could ask for no better advocate than Sen. Hatch," said Roy J. Bostock, chairman of the Partnership for Drug-Free America. Hatch, at a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, thanked the partnership for the award and vowed to continue to work with others to attack the problem. "There are many who are willing to join in the war on drugs when we are passing stiffer criminal laws related to drug trafficking and drug use," Hatch said. "And while I am always for punishing those who choose to break the law, I think there have to be smart ways of preventing the laws from being broken and treating offenders early so we don't have to pay for locking them up over and over." - Thomas Burr