Tom Siebel is stepping down from the helm of the Montana Meth Project. At a press conference Thursday, Siebel -- a billionaire and Montana ranch owner -- announced that Mike Gulledge, publisher of the Billings Gazette, will steer the anti-drug campaign.

Seibel also unveiled a $5 million challenge to the people of Montana, in which the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation will match donations of up to $5 million from private and corporate sources during the next year.

"We are getting to the point ... people are not just choosing to not try meth, they are outraged that somebody else is trying it," Siebel told a crowd gathered at the Capital Thursday morning. "Even more importantly, it's becoming very uncool to be around meth."

Siebel said he will continue to be involved with the anti-meth campaign, but in a less active role.

"I'm not going away, but I probably will not be up on this dais again," Siebel said. "I thank you all for your support during the last few years. It was the experience of a lifetime."

The Montana Meth Project was conceived two years ago during a meeting at Perkins restaurant between Siebel and Attorney General Mike McGrath. The two were incredulous that meth wasn't considered a problem on the national level, and they vowed to focus attention on the drug problem that was on a rampage throughout the West.

"We struggled for years trying to raise awareness, first in the state of Montana and in communities across the state, regarding methamphetamine and it's impact on not only young people, but in health care, criminal justice, schools, families -- in the entire fabric of our communities" McGrath recalled. "We battled that for five years before this project started; then people began to sit up and take notice."

The project relied heavily on graphic advertisements on billboards, radio, and television and in newspapers, which showed the perils and physical consequences associated with methamphetamine use. Not only did the ads catch the eye of Montanans, the gritty approach gained national attention with news coverage in The New York Times, NPR and major television networks.

"Two years ago, meth officially wasn't a problem," Siebel said. "Today, it's recognized as a national problem and we are doing something about it. We are being held up as a model for the rest of the nation. That is something we can be very proud of. We have accomplished a lot."

Siebel funded much of the project out of his own pocket for the past two years, but noted all along that he intended to step aside at some point and let others take over. The annual cost of the program is expected to be around $6 million annually, including $2 million in state funding and $2 million in federal funding.

Gulledge said he wants to build on the momentum created by Siebel. He was on the advisory council since the Montana Meth Project's inception, and is excited to serve as its chairman. Gulledge has been with Lee Enterprises n which owns the Helena Independent Record, the Missoulian, the Butte Standard and the Billings Gazette n since 1983, and publisher of the Gazette since 2000.

"It's time for all of us to make a difference," Gulledge said, noting that the next phase will focus on a year-long capital campaign and developing a new media campaign, to be released in the first quarter of 2007.

McGrath said Gov. Schweitzer's budget has allocated about $1 million toward the anti-meth effort, and he'll fight to retain that funding during the upcoming legislative session. Sen. Max Baucus also has requested $4 million to help fund the advertising, as part of the 2007 spending bill.

McGrath added that last year about $1 million in private donations also were gathered, and anticipates more money will be raised this year since the Project has hired Gary Burnett to develop funding sources.

"It's not going to be a static campaign," he added. "It will be dynamic, it will be changing, and there will be new research and evaluation on how the project is working."