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Meth makers in Nebraska about to take another hit
After we pass a law in Congress, I like to take a look at statistics to see if it's working. Judging by the figures on the number of meth labs in Nebraska, it's easy to see that a law we passed in 2006 is having a very positive impact.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, there has been a sharp decrease in the number of meth labs in Nebraska. In 2005 there were 228 meth lab incidents reported in our state. The number dropped to 28 in 2006 when we passed the Combat Meth Act that made it more difficult for meth makers to get ingredients. The number of meth lab incidents dropped even further in 2007 to only 16.
Time to Enhance the Law
It's time to make it even more difficult to manufacture meth which is why several of us in the Senate have joined together in introducing bipartisan legislation to provide new tools to drug enforcement officials to improve the law we passed in 2006.
On the advice of the Drug Enforcement Agency, we are hoping to modify the 2006 bill to put a stop to even more home cooking meth makers. We have introduced what is known as the Combat Meth Enhancement Act of 2009.
The 2006 law regulated some of the common ingredients used in cooking methamphetamine: Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine which are contained in some cold and nasal congestion medicine. The law required those medicines to be put behind the counter and prohibited their sale in large quantities.
Here's What it Does
The law required retailers to file a certificate attesting that their employees were trained on the proper handling and sale of these products. However, the Drug Enforcement Agency said that many retailers have not complied and they've had trouble identifying some of the stores that have not.
The new bill would require retail sellers of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine to train their employees to comply with the law and require them to register on the Drug Enforcement Administration website and those names would be published on the web site.
The bill also requires distributors of these products to sell only to retailers who have filed self-certifications with the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Giving Law Enforcement Proper Tools
Meth has become a blight on our nation's rural and small communities. Drug enforcement officials need all the resources we can give them to ensure that the large quantities of ingredients necessary for meth production are kept out of the hands of criminals who would use them to produce this horrible drug.
I've seen the pictures and heard stories from law enforcement officials across the state. Meth is extremely debilitating and that alone should be enough of a reason to eliminate it. This new effort will go a long way toward making that happen. This bill passed the Senate last year, and I'm hopeful that this year we can get it all the way to the President's desk.