congress fights back against meth

[pattbateman]

all i really think it will ever do is raise the price of the drug hence raising the crime that goes along with it.

House backs measure to combat 'meth' By Joanne Kenen

Wed Dec 14, 7:31 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Addressing the spread of methamphetamines already devastating some rural U.S. communities, the House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a package of measures aimed at stiffening penalties and making it harder for meth "cooks" to obtain common ingredients.

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The drug package was wrapped into the larger Patriot Act anti-terrorism bill, which passed the House but faces an uncertain future in the Senate as Congress tries to complete its work for the year.

"Meth is one of the most powerful and dangerous drugs available on the streets of our country, and it is one of the easiest to make," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said in a statement after the vote.

The bill would toughen penalties for methamphetamine traffickers, and those who cook or deal meth with children present.

It would also limit monthly purchases of common cold medications containing ingredients, such as pseudoephedrine, used to make meth, and require that pharmacies sell these common medicines from behind the counter or keep them in a locked cabinet. They would still be available without a prescription but stores would keep records of sales.

Under the legislation, importers and exporters of "precursor" drugs would have to report on their shipments to prevent them from being diverted into meth production.

"The most effective way to fight the meth epidemic is to make it harder for criminals to get the key ingredient in the production of this deadly drug," said acting House Majority Leader Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican.

The drive to combat meth has had bipartisan support in both the House and Senate as law enforcement and treatment advocacy groups have called for more federal action. Some lawmakers have also pressed for more funding and research into treatment.

"Meth abuse is creating chaos in small-town America. We are witnessing large-scale proliferation of small meth labs in homes, trailers, and garages where about $100 worth of materials from the local drug store can be cooked into about $1,000 worth of meth," Delaware Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record) said earlier this year when an anti-meth caucus was founded.

"These labs present an incredible danger to law enforcement who raid them, they are an environmental nightmare, and most importantly, they present an unbelievable hazard to kids," he said.