Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jan 2006
Source: Agri News (MN)
Copyright: 2006 Agri News
Contact: http://www.agrinews.com/letters.html
Website: http://www.agrinews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3267
Author: Stephanie Corbin
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

NEW LAWS AIMED AT DECREASING METH USE

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Meth use is increasing, but new laws are trying
to stop the theft of ingredients.

Users and makers of meth also face stiffer penalties.

That was the message Minnesota state Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont,
brought to the recent annual meeting of the Wisconsin Federation and
Minnesota Association of Cooperatives in Bloomington.

"The whole part of the meth crisis or epidemic ... is that we need to
work on education," Rosen said.

Rosen helped to write Minnesota's legislation for meth use, including
increased penalties for intent to manufacture, child endangerment and
theft of anhydrous ammonia.

"The theft of anhydrous has really gone down," Rosen
said.

The legislation also includes provisions for restitution, a property
disclosure for seized meth houses, lab cleanup guidelines with a
revolving loan fund for helping owners, school notification and treatment.

"It's the best meth bill in the nation," Rosen said.

The bill also restricts the sale of over-the-counter pharmaceutical
products used in manufacturing meth to a specific age group and a
certain number of packages that can be purchased each month.

"It's not a rural issue anymore," Rosen said. "It's in the
cities."

Rosen said meth manufacturing began increasing in Minnesota after Iowa
passed regulations in 2002 to restrict over-the-counter sales.

People started crossing the Iowa-Minnesota border and manufacturing
meth in southern Minnesota.

"There is nothing pleasant used in manufacturing meth," Rosen
said.

She said recovering addicts have told her it's the best high they ever
had.

"It's the best bang for the buck ... the binge can last forever,"
Rosen said.

Meth consumption can cause aggressive and paranoid behavior, she said.
Meth users also don't care about anything else but the drug, so they
neglect their children.

Rosen started working on the legislation in 2003 and formed the
Minnesota Meth Task Force, which had about 35 members who met twice a
month and discussed legislation.

In 2004, she introduced the bill, but nothing was passed.

Then the state saw an increased number of meth labs being busted and
the drug was being dealt in the state's cities, and legislators passed
the current legislation.

"Meth knows no boundaries," Rosen said.

Eric Johnson, district attorney for St. Croix County in Wisconsin, has
been prosecuting meth cases for years and also spoke to co-op members.
He said the county leads the state in the number of meth cases.

"Once people become aware of the problem, they aren't afraid to act on
it," Johnson said. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake