(Washington, D.C.)  Congresswoman Cathy McMorris (WA-05) today highlighted the importance of the Methamphetamine Epidemic Elimination Act, which was included in the conference report of H.R. 3199, the USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005. This bill is the first-ever to include comprehensive anti-meth legislation.

“One of my top priorities is to keep our nation and communities safe,” said McMorris. “In Eastern Washington, we deal on a daily basis with the devastating effects of meth and other drug abuse. The use of meth has numerous social costs and leads to increases in crime. This legislation will help stop the spread of meth by making it more difficult to obtain the necessary ingredients to manufacture meth and by tightening criminal penalties for those who traffic in this dangerous drug.”

In Spokane it is estimated that 80% of crime and 90% of check fraud is drug and meth related. In 2004, Washington ranked 6th in the country in total meth seizures, ahead of California.

McMorris is a member of The Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine. The Caucus works to raise national awareness of the dangers posed by meth abuse and to advance strong public policy to fight against meth manufacturing, distribution, and use.

The Methamphetamine Epidemic Elimination Act will do the following to reduce the supply of meth and punish meth producers, traffickers, and smugglers:

• Restrict the sale of precursor drugs (common, over-the-counter medicines used in the production of meth);
• Require exporters and importers to report on their traffic of precursor drugs to prevent diversion of these drugs to meth production; and
• Toughen federal penalties for methamphetamine traffickers and smugglers as well as those who produce or deal meth in the presence of children.