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For Immediate
Release
6/20/06
CONTACT:
PA
Senate Republican Communications
(717) 787-6725
Robbins' Anti-Methamphetamine Legislation Moves Out of Senate Committee
"Pennsylvania Combat Meth Initiative" Moves Forward
HARRISBURG -- Two
anti-methamphetamine bills sponsored by Senator Bob Robbins (R-50) have been
approved from Committee. The first bill is aimed at protecting children from
meth labs while the second seeks to make retailers and their employees aware of
any suspicious activity when it comes to customers purchasing ingredients that
could be used to make meth.
Senate Bill 1120 -- approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last
week -- would amend the Crimes Code by making it a misdemeanor for
operating a meth lab while supervising a child.
Senate Bill 1121 would establish into law the "Meth Watch" Program.
This joint program,between the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office
and retailers, trains clerks to be aware of individuals attempting to
purchase meth ingredients in high quantities. The bill also aims to
educate and warn consumers about meth and the illegal purchase of meth
ingredients. The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee unanimously
approved the bill today.
Methamphetamine production is a serious problem whose popularity is
spreading because most of the ingredients used to make it can be
purchased in local stores. The drug is "cooked" in home-made labs and
is highly addictive and deadly.
"Meth
has become an epidemic across the nation," said Sen. Robbins. "More
than 12 million people in the U.S. have used this highly additive
drug. Users suffer permanent damage as brain cells are left with
altered nerve endings. The truth is the threat goes beyond the actual
user -- kids are neglected, or worse, exposed to the harmful effects of
meth labs. With this in mind, I introduced Senate Bill 1120, to provide
a deterrent, or punishment, for putting children in harms way."
"The
Meth Watch Program, which originated in Kansas, has a proven track
record," said Robbins. "Through this program, law enforcement and
retailers work together to increase awareness about the diversion of
legal products -- ingredients to make meth -- and assist local
communities in addressing the meth problem." For more information on
Meth Watch, go to
www.methwatch.com.
These
two bills are a part of the "Pennsylvania Combat Meth Initiative," a
broader seven-bill package in the Senate:
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SB 1115 would add the definition of "precursor substance" to the
Controlled Substance Act. This would allow the Secretary of Health
to add chemicals to the current list of controlled substances by
regulation if they are found to be used in the production of drugs.
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SB 1116 would limit the sale of pseudoephedrine, a common
ingredient in many over-the-counter cold medicines.
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SB 1117 would make it a criminal offense to operate a meth lab
and impose additional penalties for operating a lab near a school or
day care center.
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SB 1118 would make it a specific violation of the Controlled
Substance Act to possess an ephedrine-related substance with the
intent to manufacture methamphetamine.
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SB 1119 would allow courts to assess costs on a defendant
convicted of an offense involving a meth lab and assess
environmental clean-up costs against the defendant.
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