Sen. Talent Announces Final Implementation of Combat Meth Act
Sen. Talent Announces Final Implementation of Combat Meth Act
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) U.S. Senator Jim Talent today announced that beginning tomorrow, the final phase of purchase requirements on certain types of cold medicine required in the Talent-Feinstein Combat Meth Act will go into effect. Sen. Talent's bill requires all regulated sellers to store over-the-counter medications containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, the primary ingredients needed to make meth, behind the counter or locked in a cabinet. The new law also requires purchasers to show identification and sign a logbook to crack down on unscrupulous buyers.
"This is a landmark day in the fight against methamphetamine," said Sen. Talent, chief co-sponsor of the Combat Meth Act and co-chair of the Anti-meth Caucus. "This provision in the bill will prevent meth cooks from stocking up on piles of pills, gels caps and liquids containing the key ingredient needed to cook meth. If you can't get pseudoephedrine, you can't make meth. Now, it will be harder for the dishonest people to get this ingredient, while ensuring honest people can access the drugs they need."
This is the final phase of implementing purchase requirements under the Combat Meth Act. On April 8th, consumer purchases of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine were restricted to 3.6 grams in one day and 9 grams per month.
Law enforcement officials from around the country stressed that this step is critical to helping knock down the meth in our neighborhoods. The Talent-Feinstein legislation is modeled after the successful Oklahoma law which saw an immediate 80 percent decline in meth lab busts. The Combat Meth Act is the toughest, most comprehensive anti-meth package ever considered by the Congress. The legislation restricts the sale of products containing ingredients needed to cook meth, provides new tools to states, local law enforcement and prosecutors to combat meth and includes treatment funding to help those affected by meth.
Restricting the Sale of Ingredients to Cook Meth
Restricts and records the sale of medicines containing meth precursors including pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine.
Relocates these products behind the counter or locked case, 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.
Law enforcement organizations supporting the Talent-Feinstein Combat Meth Act include the Missouri Sheriff's Association, the Missouri Highway Patrol, the National District Attorneys Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Attorney Generals Association, the National Sheriffs' Association, the National Narcotics Officers' Association, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, and the National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies.
http://talent.senate.gov/News/singleNews.cfm?NewsID=1804