SENATE PANEL HOLDS HEARING ON 'CRANK'

Methamphetamine Use Nationwide And Across
State Has Lawmakers Worried

Washington - Amid increasing alarm that methamphetamine could become
the next illegal drug epidemic in the nation, the Senate Judiciary
Committee Wednesday opened hearings into the extent of the problem and
possible solutions.

Wisconsin's two senators, Democrats Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, who
are committee members, said that the illegal manufacturing and abuse
of methamphetamine were spreading in the state, particularly in the
northern and western areas.

"Our state crime lab has nearly tripled the number of meth cases since
1996, more police are being exposed to health hazards from meth labs
and, most disturbingly, there is even meth trafficking at the high
school level," Kohl told the committee.

"That is not only wrong, it is unacceptable. And a bad omen of things
to come. So we need to act before meth becomes the next crack cocaine
epidemic."

Kohl signed on to bipartisan legislation authored by the Judiciary
Committee chairman, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). It is aimed at curbing
the spread of methamphetamine manufacturing, which is carried on both
by professional drug dealers and "mom and pop" operations.

Feingold said he was still reviewing various legislative proposals to
deal with the spread of methamphetamine. But he said it was absolutely
vital that the federal government work with state and local law
enforcement.

Moreover, Feingold said heightened law enforcement needed to be
balanced with education, prevention and treatment initiatives.

Methamphetamine, sometimes called "crank," is a highly addictive,
mind-altering stimulant that can be manufactured from legally obtained
chemicals. It causes anger, panic, paranoia and hallucinations.

Mixing the chemicals can cause explosions and fires, and the residue
from methamphetamine manufacturing is toxic, requiring environmental
cleanups that cost an average of $3,000, according to the Drug
Enforcement Administration.

Donnie R. Marshall, the DEA's acting administrator, told the committee
that the number of DEA-related methamphetamine arrests had increased
by more than 300% - from 1,893 arrests in 1993 to 7,587 arrests in
1998.

"Today, roughly 21% of all DEA arrests are for methamphetamine-related
drug violations, a total only surpassed by cocaine-related arrests,
which encompasses roughly 45% of overall agency arrest totals," he
said.

A major difficulty in dealing with the spread of methamphetamine,
Hatch said, is the fact that recipes to manufacture it are widely
available on the Internet.

His legislation, among other things, would prohibit the posting of
illegal drug recipes on the Internet when there is intent to commit a
federal crime. It also would clarify that federal law prohibits the
advertisement and sale of drug paraphernalia on the Internet.

Kohl, along with another Judiciary Committee member, Sen. Charles
Grassley (R-Iowa), is sponsoring a separate bill to provide $50
million to rural communities battling methamphetamine. In addition,
the Senate last week approved a Kohl amendment to send an additional
$1 million to Wisconsin for a methamphetamine task force in the
western part of the state.