NEW MEASURES TO METH LAW KEEP RETAILERS HAPPY, BUT OKLAHOMA'S LAWS
STILL ENFORCED

Congress Still Takes Care Of The Common Folks Sometimes.

After Oklahoma's brilliant methamphetamine law was passed, meth lab busts
dropped from hundreds a year to a handful. Meth-related sentences dropped
from 50 to 26 per month since the law was passed. Many other states looked
at Oklahoma's law as a way to fight their own methamphetamine problems.

Measures were introduced at the federal level to fight the problem, but the
big pharmaceutical companies attempted to water down the proposal.

It appeared until Thursday that the proposal that would move out of
committee would take the teeth out of our law in Oklahoma.

Sen. Tom Coburn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a
practicing physician, opposed the bill and was successfully able to remove
a provision that would have repealed key provisions of Oklahoma's law.

Pharmaceutical companies wanted one national standard so employees in
different states would not have to be trained differently. The simple
solution would have been for the Oklahoma law to become the national law.
But the federal government hardly ever does things the simple way.

The new measure has some amendments and exceptions that were added to keep
the retailers happy, but the important thing is that Oklahoma's law will
continue to be enforced. And that means fewer meth labs will be operating
around the state, fewer children will be exposed to the deadly chemicals
used to make the drug and law officers can focus on other things.

Thank you, Dr. Coburn.