DRUG LAB BILL DIES IN COMMITTEE

SACRAMENTO, March 24 (UPI) _ A proposed extra sentence for people operating
illegal drug labs in residential areas has failed in the state Senate's
Public Safety Committee.

The bill by Sen. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, fell one vote short today of
clearing the panel, but the author received permission to try again later.

Senate leader John Burton, D-San Francisco, said increasing sentences makes
little impact on methamphetamine-makers who get a 10-fold return on their
investment in chemicals and equipment.

Others suggested that reducing the demand for drugs makes more sense than
putting offenders in prison for longer terms, only to have newcomers take
their places in drug labs.

But law enforcement officers said the bill would break a pattern of
methamphetamine labs moving from rural to urban areas, where their telltale
odors can be masked more easily and manufacturers are closer to dealers.

The bill would have added a five-year penalty for those who manufacture
methamphetamine or who store chemicals used in the process within 1,000
feet of a residence.

The panel approved a companion bill aimed at restricting chemicals used to
produce methamphetamine. It would limit the sale and purchase of the
precursor chemicals of iodine and red phosphorous, with exceptions for
legitimate businesses.