Alexander Praises Passage of Legislation to Combat Meth Production and Distribution

Alexander Praises Passage of Legislation to Combat Meth Production and Distribution

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today praised final passage of the Combat Meth Act which provides new resources for law enforcement to crack down on methamphetamine (meth) producers and distributors. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), was included in the USA-Patriot Act Reauthorization Conference Report which passed the U.S. Senate today by a vote of 89 to 10.

"The Combat Meth Act is the toughest, most comprehensive anti-meth package ever passed by the Congress," said Alexander, who cosponsored the legislation. "It fights the biggest problem faced by law enforcement officials dealing with the meth problem - choking off the supply of the materials needed to manufacture the drug.

"We have a serious meth problem in Tennessee, and I'm hopeful this legislation will stop the growing number of meth labs and the spread of this dangerous and destructive drug," he added. "I commend Senator Talent and Senator Feinstein for providing this comprehensive strategy for combating the meth scourge facing our nation, as well as Senator Frist for his leadership on this important issue."

The goal of the Combat Meth Act is to provide legitimate consumers with access to the medicine they need, while cutting off meth cooks from the ingredients they use to produce meth. The legislation is modeled after a successful Oklahoma law which led to an immediate 80 percent decline in meth lab busts.

The Combat Meth Act fights the production and distribution of meth by:

· Restricting the sale of necessary ingredients to make meth - places potential ingredients behind the counter, requires identification and signature, and limits how much one person can buy to 9 grams a month and 3.6 grams in a single day.

· Providing an additional $99,000,000 per year for the next five years to train state and local law enforcement personnel to investigate and lock-up meth offenders and expand funding for enforcement, prosecution and environmental clean-up.

· Enhancing international enforcement of meth trafficking by requiring new reporting and certification procedures of the largest exporting and importing countries of pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and PPA.

· Providing services and $20 million in grant funding in 2006 and 2007 for response teams to assist and educate children affected by the production of methamphetamine.

· Enhancing criminal penalties for meth production and trafficking.

Methamphetamine is one of the most deadly, addictive and rapidly spreading drugs the United States has known. During the past decade, meth use in some communities has increased by as much as 300 percent.

In 2004, Tennessee ranked second in the nation in the number of meth lab seizures, according to data from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The Drug Enforcement Agency calculates that Tennessee accounts for 75 percent of the meth lab seizures in the Southeast.

The Combat Meth Act, as part of the USA-Patriot Act Reauthorization Conference Report, now goes to the president for his signature.

http://alexander.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=971&Month=3&Year=2006