Feinstein, Grassley Bill to Confront Rising Threat of Methamphetamine Passes Senate

Washington—Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today applauded Senate passage of the Methamphetamine Response Act. Their bill declares methamphetamine an emerging drug threat that requires the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to develop, implement and make public a national plan to prevent methamphetamine addiction and overdoses from becoming a crisis.

            “The rise of methamphetamine in the United States is a serious cause for concern. In a single year, overdose deaths caused by psychostimulants, which includes methamphetamine, increased by 27 percent to more than 16,000,” said Feinstein. “We must have a national plan to confront this crisis head-on. Last month the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 2,224 pounds of methamphetamine in Riverside County, Calif., and Customs and Border Protection seized 3,000 pounds at the port of Otay Mesa, Calif. Both seizures are among the largest on record and show what we can expect if we don’t take action. I urge my colleagues in the House to move this bill quickly.”

            “Methamphetamine abuse is not a new problem. But traffickers are finding new, more harmful ways to increase potency and distribution, leading to a tragic rise in overdoses. The passage of this bill will help law enforcement by establishing and prioritizing a national response plan to confront the meth crisis,” said Grassley.

What the bill does:

• Declares methamphetamine an emerging drug threat, as defined in section 702 of the ONDCP Reauthorization Act of 1998

• Requires ONDCP to develop, implement, and make public, within 90 days of enactment, a national emerging threats response plan that is specific to methamphetamine, in accordance with section 709(d) of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998.

• The ONDCP plan must be updated annually and include the following:

• An assessment of the methamphetamine threat, including the current availability of and demand for the drug, and evidence-based prevention and treatment programs, as well as law enforcement programs;

• Short- and long-term goals, including those focused on reducing supply and demand, and on expanding the availability and effectiveness of treatment and prevention programs;

• Performance measures pertaining to the plan’s goals;

• The level of funding needed to implement the plan; and

• An implementation strategy, goals and objectives for a media campaign.