New Web Resource Available
A federal Web site has been created to provide the public with comprehensive information regarding methamphetamine abuse, announced U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon.
"This site, www.methresources.gov, provides tips for parents, information about legislation that may affect business owners and links to grants available to assist state and local officials," said Gordon, dean of Tennessee’s congressional delegation.
The Office of the National Drug Control Policy, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are sponsoring the site.
"This site can serve just about anyone who is seeking information about the meth epidemic, which has hit our state especially hard," said Gordon.
Gordon's H.R. 798 Passes House, Unanimously
On December 13, 2005, legislation authored by Science Committee Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) to stem the scourge of methamphetamine (meth) in local communities, unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
H.R. 798, The Methamphetamine Research Remediation Act, will protect unsuspecting families from the dangers of illegal meth labs and provide needed tools for law enforcement to detect labs throughout the community.
"Meth production is an all too common problem in local communities across the country," stated Rep. Gordon. "I wrote this bill to address a specific problem in Tennessee, but the legislation’s benefit will extend far beyond my state’s borders to protect unsuspecting families living in homes that were once illegal meth labs."
Read the complete press release »
The Nashville Tennessean commented on Mr. Gordon's legislation in an editorial published on January 6.
Member Methamphetamine Events
TO: DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS
FROM: BART GORDON, RANKING MEMBER
SUBJECT: METHAMPHETAMINE FIELD EVENT
Last year I sponsored a Science Committee field event regarding the methamphetamine problem in my district. This event highlighted issues related to this problem which lie within the Committee's jurisdiction. I believe the model for my event could easily be adopted to meet the needs of Members who may also have a meth problem in their area and I wanted to explain what I did....
Read Mr. Gordon's memorandum
Mr. Gordon's methamphetamine event was held May 10, 2004, on the campus of Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee. The roundtable allowed state and local officials to share their insights from dealing with the social upheaval and the toxic legacy of methamphetamine production in middle Tennessee. Gordon's Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act draws directly on the discussion at the roundtable. For more on these discussions, read the Committee staff report prepared at Mr. Gordon's direction.
Methamphetamine Abuse: The Search for Solutions »
Arnold, Missouri, was the scene of the Jefferson County Methamphetamine Summit sponsored by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) on June 26, 2005. Local law enforcement officials described their immediate concerns as the lack of laboratory help to confirm that seized drugs were indeed methamphetamine in time to support prosecutions, and the excessive time local police had to spend in site decontaminations. Mr. Carnahan has co-sponsored legislation to address those concerns. In July, Rep. Carnahan hosted a similar event in St. Genevieve, Misoouri.
