Other Voices - Grassley Q & A: Combatting Meth

Q: What is the Combat Meth Act?

A: The devastating impact of meth spreads well beyond just drug users.
Meth hurts families, particularly the children of meth users, as well
as the larger community that gets hit with the damage this terrible
drug inflicts on our society. Unlike other drugs, meth can be home
cooked from easily accessible ingredients which has lead to meth labs
and "super labs" in rural communities.

Iowa recognized this problem early andEenacted strict stateElaws
controlling the sale of precursor chemicals, reducing the availability
of necessary ingredients for meth. Recognizing the early successes of
Iowa's law, I co-sponsored the Combat Methamphetamine Act of 2005 at
the federal level to bring similar controls to all states across the
country. This legislation limited the amount of drugs that can be used
to make meth that a customer can buy and mandated that pharmacies keep
written or electronic logbooks recording the purchase of these drugs.

The legislation also gave prosecutors and local law enforcement
additional resources to fight meth on the frontlines and bring meth
cooks and traffickers to justice. Because of Iowa's own law, as well
as the national law that was implemented in surrounding states, we
have seen some encouraging results. Meth lab incidents in Iowa have
decreased from about 1,500 in 2004, when the Iowa law went into
effect, to just 89 through July 31st of this year. Nationally, there
was a 41 percent reduction in meth labs in 2006 alone, according to
the Drug Enforcement Agency.

To build on that success, I recently introduced legislation that would
strengthen the Combat Meth Act by requiring pharmacies to keep their
databases of meth precursor purchases electronically to make
information sharing among pharmacies more effective in stopping meth
producers.

Q: What is being done to keep meth off our streets?

A: Meth producers and drug traffickers are relentless in their
pursuit of putting drugs on our streets. We need to be equally
relentless in our efforts to stop them. The Combat Meth Act has done a
lot of good nationwide, but the challenge is making sure that when we
close one door for meth production, we act quickly to shut the next
door that opens.

At a Senate Finance Committee hearing in September, I heard testimony
about meth being brought across our southern border from Mexico.
Nearly 80 percent of our meth comes from Mexico, however most of our
resources areEhave been allocated to the 20 percent produced
domestically. The purpose of this hearing was to make sure the
Administration is effectively using all its assets to keep meth out of
the United States.

Another growing problem is the marketing of meth to the most at-risk
group for drug abuse: children. Meth producers are now offering candy
flavored meth to young people. In response, I've introduced the Saving
Kids from Dangerous Drugs Act. This legislation would triple the
federal penalties for drug dealers who flavor or disguise illegal
drugs to make them more appealing to people under age 21.

It's important that all of us remain vigilant in the fight against
meth. Together, we can help create a safer environment for our
children and the generations to come.