Midwest Freelancer archive article
Congress approves tough new meth bill
(Published Thursday, March 9, 2006)
By Chris Post/Midwest Freelancer
It’s no secret to local law enforcement agencies that methamphetamine is a significant problem.
In Saline County, Sheriff Wally George has consistantly said the meth is his top problem substance, outpacing other drugs and alcohol.
Marshall Police Chief Jim Simmerman agreed, saying “Because of the overall harm caused by illegal drugs to society, strict enforcement of the drug laws remains a No. 1 priority.”
Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, of California, heard the concerns of police officers fighting to keep meth off the streets and crafted what is being called the toughest, most comprehensive anti-meth bill ever introduced in the Congress.
The lawmakers looked to an Oklahoma law that resulted in an 80 percent decline in meth lab busts.
"This is a major victory for people in neighborhoods across Missouri and the country who are threatened by meth," said Talent upon the bills passage in the Senate. “The Senate should take great satisfaction in this accomplishment, but we need to continue working in a bipartisan fashion to help those who are threatened by the meth epidemic."
Feinstein was also proud of the Senate’s action.
"This is a major victory,” she said. “It is the biggest breakthrough in combating the nationwide spread of methamphetamines in over a decade.”
The heart of the anti-meth package is the Combat Meth Act which would restrict the sale of products necessary to cook meth. The act:
• Restricts and records the sale of medicines containing meth precursors including pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine.
• Relocates these products behind the counter, requiring purchasers to show identification and sign a logbook.
• Allows legitimate consumers to get the medicine they need, but limits how much one person can buy to 9 grams a month and 3.6 grams in a single day.
• Creates a new DEA classification for meth precursors to imposes tougher penalties for meth cooks while allowing legitimate consumers to access the medicines they need without a prescription.
“All across the country cold medicines with pseudoephedrine will be placed behind the counter,” Feinstein said. “This bill will not make the epidemic go away overnight, but it is still an important step."
In addition to restricting access to precursors, the measure also:
• Provides an additional $99 million per year for the next five years under the Meth Hot Spots program to train state and local law enforcement to investigate and lock-up meth offenders and expand funding available for personnel and equipment for enforcement, prosecution and environmental clean-up.
• Requires new reporting and certification procedures of the largest exporting and importing countries of pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and PPA.
• Provides $20 million in grant funding in 2006 and 2007 for Drug Endangered Children rapid response teams to promote collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies to assist and educate children that have been affected by the production of methamphetamine.
By Chris Post/Midwest Freelancer
It’s no secret to local law enforcement agencies that methamphetamine is a significant problem.
In Saline County, Sheriff Wally George has consistantly said the meth is his top problem substance, outpacing other drugs and alcohol.
Marshall Police Chief Jim Simmerman agreed, saying “Because of the overall harm caused by illegal drugs to society, strict enforcement of the drug laws remains a No. 1 priority.”
Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, of California, heard the concerns of police officers fighting to keep meth off the streets and crafted what is being called the toughest, most comprehensive anti-meth bill ever introduced in the Congress.
The lawmakers looked to an Oklahoma law that resulted in an 80 percent decline in meth lab busts.
"This is a major victory for people in neighborhoods across Missouri and the country who are threatened by meth," said Talent upon the bills passage in the Senate. “The Senate should take great satisfaction in this accomplishment, but we need to continue working in a bipartisan fashion to help those who are threatened by the meth epidemic."
Feinstein was also proud of the Senate’s action.
"This is a major victory,” she said. “It is the biggest breakthrough in combating the nationwide spread of methamphetamines in over a decade.”
The heart of the anti-meth package is the Combat Meth Act which would restrict the sale of products necessary to cook meth. The act:
• Restricts and records the sale of medicines containing meth precursors including pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine.
• Relocates these products behind the counter, requiring purchasers to show identification and sign a logbook.
• Allows legitimate consumers to get the medicine they need, but limits how much one person can buy to 9 grams a month and 3.6 grams in a single day.
• Creates a new DEA classification for meth precursors to imposes tougher penalties for meth cooks while allowing legitimate consumers to access the medicines they need without a prescription.
“All across the country cold medicines with pseudoephedrine will be placed behind the counter,” Feinstein said. “This bill will not make the epidemic go away overnight, but it is still an important step."
In addition to restricting access to precursors, the measure also:
• Provides an additional $99 million per year for the next five years under the Meth Hot Spots program to train state and local law enforcement to investigate and lock-up meth offenders and expand funding available for personnel and equipment for enforcement, prosecution and environmental clean-up.
• Requires new reporting and certification procedures of the largest exporting and importing countries of pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and PPA.
• Provides $20 million in grant funding in 2006 and 2007 for Drug Endangered Children rapid response teams to promote collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies to assist and educate children that have been affected by the production of methamphetamine.