Pubdate: Tue, 20 Feb 2007
Source: Missouri Valley Times-News (IA)
Copyright: 2007 Missouri Valley Times
Contact:   http://www.zwire.com/site/News.cfm?brd=326
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4424
Author: John W. Whitehead
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

IOWA CONTINUES TO LEAD WAY IN FIGHT AGAINST METH

Methamphetamine is one of the most deadly, addictive, and rapidly 
spreading drugs the United States has ever known. Unlike heroin or 
crack, it is not a problem confined mostly to big, far-away cities. 
Meth has spread its ugly tentacles into rural and urban communities 
all across Iowa, and the destruction it is leaving in its path - 
human, financial, and environmental - is staggering.

Thankfully, Iowa has taken some successful and concrete steps to 
fight meth. Former Governor Tom Vilsack signed the nation's toughest 
law restricting the sale of cold medicines containing 
pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in producing the drug. This 
signaled an aggressive new phase in Iowa's fight against methamphetamine.

The Iowa tank lock program has also proved its mettle as a key weapon 
in this ongoing war. I started the Iowa tank lock program in 2002 to 
prevent the theft of anhydrous ammonia, a highly toxic chemical used 
for fertilizer that is also a key ingredient in the creation of 
methamphetamine. Using funds that I secured in Washington, local 
sheriffs purchase special locks and work closely with agricultural 
co-ops to install them on tanks containing anhydrous ammonia.

The Iowa tank lock program has proven to be a simple and inexpensive, 
yet highly effective way to fight methamphetamine in Iowa 
communities. The project began with $200,000 to buy tank locks for 
the counties with the highest number of meth labs, and has since 
expanded, allowing Iowa law enforcement officials to secure thousands 
of tanks at a cost of about $45.00 each. I am very pleased that Iowa 
law enforcement recently announced that they are taking the final 
steps to complete the lockup of these tanks in all 99 counties.

A recent analysis by the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) 
demonstrates how effective these tank locks are: Counties with locked 
tanks reported a five percent decrease in clandestine meth labs, 
compared to a 113 percent increase in the amount of clandestine labs 
in unlocked counties. According to the ODCP, when the locks are used 
properly, they have proven to virtually eliminate anhydrous ammonia thefts.

I am proud that, through the tank lock project and our strict 
pseudoephedrine control law, the state of Iowa has taken the lead in 
fighting the proliferation of methamphetamine in the United States. 
The U.S. Congress recently followed suit by passing the Combat Meth 
Act in 2006. I was a co-sponsor of this bill, which requires all 
products containing pseudoephedrine be kept behind retail counters in 
the United States and limits how much pseudoephedrine a person may 
buy. I hope that, through the passage of this law, we can extend 
Iowa's success to the rest of the country.

Unfortunately, while Iowa has made some great strides in our struggle 
against methamphetamine, the number of meth labs is again increasing. 
It is no coincidence that this increase in labs has come at a time 
when local law enforcement assistance programs have been decimated by 
massive budget cuts. I have been fighting against these cuts for 
years, and I remain committed to restoring funding to crucial local 
law enforcement programs. It is also crucial that innovative drug 
control initiatives like the Iowa tanks lock project are adequately funded.

I would like to commend Iowa law enforcement officials for their 
continuing commitment to stopping the proliferation of 
methamphetamine, and congratulate them for making progress in 
securing anhydrous ammonia tanks statewide. We must continue to 
implement innovative and successful projects like the tank lock 
program if we are to win the fight against meth.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman