Addressing a serious drug problem in Missouri, Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), hosted two Methamphetamine Summits in his home state. Carnahan was joined by the sheriff’s, police and fire departments, as well as medical and environmental personnel, and other elected officials. The Summits were held in two communities where Missouri’s rates of meth-related arrests and seizures are at their highest: Jefferson County and Ste. Genevieve.
“Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug that has had devastating effects on my district and many areas across the country,” said Carnahan.
DEA statistics show that in 2004 Missouri led the nation in meth lab incidents with 2,788 seizures.
Click here to listen to Rep. Carnahan discuss the problem with KWMU radio.
Congressman Carnahan was an original co-sponsor of the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2005, which would establish guidelines for meth lab cleanups and provide money to develop meth detection equipment. He also co-sponsored the Clean-Up Meth Act, which would provide funds to schools and health care clinics for prevention and treatment, as well as farms and parks polluted by meth labs and local law enforcement to fight meth.
In addition, Congressman Carnahan co-sponsored the Combat Meth Act of 2005, which authorizes funds to provide training to state and local prosecutors and law enforcement agents for investigation and prosecution of methamphetamine offenses. The bill also makes pseudoephedrine a controlled substance. Products containing pseudophedrine, which are used to make meth, would only be sold by pharmacists.
