MADIGAN'S BILL TARGETING METH MANUFACTURERS SIGNED INTO LAW

HARRISBURG -- Legislation sponsored by Sen. Roger Madigan (R-23) targeting
manufacturers of methamphetamines with tougher penalties and giving law
enforcement agencies greater tools to stop production of the deadly drug in
rural areas has been signed into law.

"The people who make this poison use every loophole and every means to
acquire the ingredients to do their dirty work. This new law will make it
more difficult for them to manufacture a drug that has ruined so many
lives," said Madigan.

Madigan introduced Senate Bill 679 in May. The Senate approved the bill in
April and the House of Representatives followed on July 2. The governor
signed the measure into law on July 15.

Senate Bill 679 -- now Act 85 of 2004 -- focuses on illegal uses of the
ingredients used to make the highly addictive stimulant drug, including
anhydrous ammonia, a chemical commonly used as a fertilizer by farms.

Act 85 makes it illegal to possess or transport anhydrous ammonia for any
purpose other than agricultural or industrial use. It also sets stiff
penalties for possessing large quantities of other methamphetamine
ingredients, including the dietary supplements ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine, a common decongestant found in cold medicine.

The law also requires state police to keep a repository of clandestine drug
labs around the state.

"The manufacture and use of methamphetamines has become a growing problem
in rural areas, and we have to respond aggressively," said Madigan. "Its
presence undermines community stability and puts the lives of law
enforcement officers at risk. Act 85 will be a useful weapon in the battle
against meth manufacturers."