Sensenbrenner Joins In Fighting The Production Of Meth
Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Bart Gordon (D-TN) introduced bipartisan legislation today that would further the fight against the production of methamphetamine. The legislation would require retailers of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products to further verify they have trained their staff in the requirements established by the federal Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which went into effect in 2006.
"Over the years, the Drug Enforcement Agency has had trouble identifying non-compliant stores - with the number of stores estimated to be in the tens of thousands," Congressman Sensenbrenner said. "This legislation will make it tougher for individuals to make meth, and therefore make it even more difficult to buy meth."
"Even with the 2006 law, our country still has a huge meth problem," Congressman Gordon said. "In my home state of Tennessee, which leads the Southeast in the number of meth labs, 1,300 labs are expected to be seized by the year's end. Through March of this year, 340 labs have already been seized statewide."
The Sensenbrenner-Gordon bill, the Combat Methamphetamine Enhancement Act of 2009, is the House-version of a Senate-passed bill (S. 256). It would strengthen existing law, which has already decreased the number of methamphetamine labs from 12,619 in 2005 to 6,783 in 2008. Specifically, it would require all retailers selling ephedrine or pseudoephedrine products - the main ingredients commonly used to make methamphetamine - to self-certify that they have trained all store personnel in the law related to the sale these products.
Current law requires that products with ephedrine or pseudoephedrine be placed behind a pharmacy counter, and limits the amount of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products that one person can buy in a single day or month. A signature and proof of identification is also required to purchase these products.
The Sensenbrenner-Gordon bill would require distributors of products with ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to sell only to retailers who are registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to sell controlled substances. It would require the DEA to create an online database where distributors can check if retailers have certified their staff has been properly trained. The bill would also clarify that a retailer who negligently fails to file self-certifications as required can face civil fines.