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Senate Committee Moves Forward on Madigan Bill
to Crack Down on Manufacturing Methamphetamines
HARRISBURG --
A key Senate panel today approved legislation
spearheaded by Senator Roger Madigan (R-Bradford) that would significantly
increase penalties for manufacturing methamphetamines and give law enforcement
agencies greater tools to stop production of the deadly drug in rural areas.
By a unanimous vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee
approved Madigan’s measure, Senate Bill 679, and sent it to the full Senate for
consideration.
“This is a major step in moving legislation forward,
so that our communities and our children are protected from these dangerous and
highly addictive drugs,” Madigan said. “Methamphetamine production is a problem
in all areas of Pennsylvania, but particularly in the Northern Tier, which has
often been called the meth capitol of the nation.”
During the committee meeting, representatives of the
Pennsylvania State Police and Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association voiced their
support for the Madigan bill, saying it is crucial to cracking down on the drug
community and helping law enforcement officials address a growing drug crisis in
rural Pennsylvania.
Madigan’s bill would make it a crime to possess the
ingredients used to make the highly addictive stimulant drug. This includes
anhydrous ammonia, a chemical commonly used as a fertilizer by farms.
The bill would make it illegal to possess or
transport anhydrous ammonia for any purpose other than agricultural or
industrial use. It would also set stiff penalties for possessing large
quantities of other methamphetamine ingredients, including the dietary
supplement ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, a common decongestant t found in cold
medicine.
The bill, which is similar to legislation approved
in New York, also calls for state police to keep a “repository” of clandestine
drug labs around the state.
“Many of the ingredients used to make meth are
available at pharmacies and grocery stores, so it is becoming more and more
available for young people,” Madigan said. “This bill is intended to save
lives and make it easier for law enforcement officials to crack down on those
who manufacture this deadly drug.”
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