House Subcommittees on Environment & Hazardous Materials, Health hold joint hearing on the environmental and health impacts of methamphetamine

October 20, 2005 - WASHINGTON, DC -
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittees on Environment & Hazardous Materials and Health today held a joint hearing on the devastating impacts of methamphetamine following requests by U.S. Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR), a member of the Committee and the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine.
 
“The far-reaching effects of meth on human life and the environment are tremendously devastating.  Those of us in rural areas like those throughout central, southern and eastern Oregon, have become all too familiar with the threats posed by this poison, but far too many Americans are not yet aware .  This hearing gave my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee an opportunity to hear firsthand the impacts of meth abuse, production and trafficking on the overall quality of life for families and communities,” said Walden, who was joined in Pendleton last Friday by Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Chairman Mark Souder for an official congressional field hearing also convened at Walden’s request.
 
Walden addressed the critical issue facing Oregon, specifically counties throughout the Second District, which contain only 20% of the state’s population, but nearly 40% of all clandestine lab seizures so far in 2005, noting that “the market for meth in the Northwest is now dominated by Mexican organizations that manufacture meth and traffic it up major distribution routes; but rural areas, like those I represent have been, and continue be, home to disproportionate numbers of small toxic labs that pose immediate health and safety risks to children, local law enforcement officials and the environment.”
 
He also applauded the aggressive actions taken by the Governor and state legislature in limiting access to precursor ingredients such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, which have led to decreases in the overall number of labs producing meth in the state, but reminded his colleagues that, although it is heartening to see reduced production in Oregon as a result, “it is unfortunate that enacting these sorts of laws in select states will only shift the problem elsewhere, not eliminate it,” reinforcing the need for federal policies to address this issue with a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach including law enforcement, treatment, prevention, education and strong cooperation between international, federal, state and local governments.    
 
Joseph Rannazzisi, Deputy Chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of Enforcement Operations, whom Walden has worked closely on this issue, echoed that sentiment.  He testified that meth’s combined ease of production, intensely addictive nature and effect on rural areas “requires a multifaceted response.”
 
During the hearing, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that treatment admissions for which meth was the primary substance abused increased more than 450% nationwide in the last decade, and the highest rate of meth use is found in young adults 18-25.  Accordingly, a key component to these efforts lies in the education and prevention of meth with children and teens.  A witness at today’s hearing from HHS pointed to the good work already underway in Oregon through The Oregon Partnership’s “Methamphetamine Awareness Project” targeted to students in the ninth and tenth grades.
 
“One thing that was clear to me during the seven town halls I held throughout the Second District on the fight against meth was that local communities and coalitions are resolute in their efforts to tackle this problem on the front lines.  The problems meth causes in my rural district are substantial, but the efforts of state and local enforcement agencies, as well as treatment and prevention providers, are truly outstanding,” said Walden, inviting more of his colleagues to visit Oregon to see these efforts firsthand.
 
Walden has cosponsored several pieces of legislation aimed at curbing international trafficking of meth and its precursor ingredients, providing financial resources to community based programs, establishing national standards for the procurement of products containing pseudoephedrine-a key ingredient to the production of methamphetamine, and enhancing criminal penalties for meth cooks, distributors and those who endanger children.
 
More information on these bills and a fully copy of Walden’s statement for today’s hearing can be found at www.walden.house.gov/issues/meth.
 
Congressman Walden represents 20 counties in central, southern and eastern Oregon.  He is a Deputy Whip in the House Leadership Structure and a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Resources.