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Madigan Supports Legislative Efforts to Fight
War
on Methamphetamine Production
HARRISBURG -- Senator
Roger Madigan (R-Bradford) today joined legislators and law enforcement
officials at a State Capitol news conference to endorse House-sponsored
legislation aimed at cracking down on the deadly drug methamphetamine.
Madigan is sponsor of legislation unanimously passed
by the Senate that would significantly increase penalties for manufacturing
methamphetamines and give law enforcement agencies greater tools to stop
production of the drug. Madigan’s measure, Senate Bill 679, is currently
awaiting House consideration.
Law enforcement officials report that
methamphetamine use is the fastest growing drug threat in the United States,
primarily because most of the ingredients used to make it can be purchased in
local stores.
Today, Madigan joined house members to push for
passage of several House measures aimed at stopping meth production in
Pennsylvania.
House Bill 2724 would make it a crime to “cook” meth
in front of children. House Bill 2739 would require meth producers to pay for
the clean up and disposal of the toxic waste residue from meth production. A
third bill would toughen penalties for those who steal anhydrous ammonia, a
highly toxic fertilizer that is used as an ingredient for meth.
“Methamphetamine has invaded our communities,
particularly in rural Pennsylvania. It has put our children at risk. It has
led to the death of many people, including two dedicated officers who were
gunned down in my district while busting a meth lab,” Madigan said.
Madigan’s bill would make it a crime to possess the
ingredients used to make the highly addictive stimulant drug, including
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.
“I am pleased that lawmakers and other groups are
voicing their support for efforts to crack down on those who produce this drug,”
Madigan said. “We are facing a deadly epidemic and we need to have strong laws
in place to fight it effectively.”
News Conference Photo
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