Washington, D.C. - The Congressional Meth Caucus announced today its top priorities for anti-meth efforts for the President’s National Drug Control Strategy for 2006. The Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine (Meth Caucus) and its four Co-Chairs sent the White House its recommendations and suggested priorities last week in a letter to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

In a pointed letter to White House Drug Czar John Walters, the Co-Chairs and members of the Caucus urged the President’s National Drug Control Strategy for 2006 to take aggressive and additional efforts to raise the profile of methamphetamine as part of the nation’s overall drug interdiction strategy.

Co-Chair Rick Larsen (D-WA) said, “The Meth Caucus is 130-members strong. We will not let up until this administration recognizes that there is a meth epidemic in this country and executes a federal response equal to the magnitude of this growing problem.”

“Meth is a problem in every corner of our country, from Utah through California to New York.  It destroys careers, families, and lives,” said Co-Chair Chris Cannon (R-UT).  “This evil will not be stopped by placing it on the backburner or focusing elsewhere.  We have to fight it with a will to win.”

In September 2005, the Meth Caucus hosted a roundtable discussion with the ONDCP and six other federal agencies. During that meeting, members expressed their frustration with the administration’s view that the current federal anti-meth response is appropriate. They urged the administration to move forward with many of the recommendations they set in writing in their letter to ONDCP.

Co-Chair Ken Calvert (R-CA) said, “I have seen first-hand the devastation meth use has on local communities.  It is time for the Administration, working with state and local officials, to develop a comprehensive plan to stop the spread of meth production and use.”

“The Meth Caucus has worked tirelessly to focus more attention and resources on our nation's growing meth problem,” said Co-Chair Leonard Boswell (D-IA).  “We need to recognize meth as the national epidemic it is and provide a comprehensive approach to dealing with this issue.”

The recommendations in the letter to ONDCP include:

· Support funding for federal programs that help local communities and law enforcement like the Byrne-JAG and COPS programs
· Continue to work with Canada and Mexico to stem the flow of precursors into the U.S.
· Endorse federal measures to reduce the amount of pseudoephedrine available for sale to consumers
· Expand the drug court system and develop programs specifically for meth users
· Develop national guidelines for the remediation of former meth labs and establish a standard for when a former lab is safe to inhabit
· Develop national guidelines for states to use in working with law enforcement and social service agencies to collaboratively establish methods to respond to meth labs and ensure child safety
· Establish a study of health effects on children who have been exposed to meth labs 

The Meth Caucus is made up of 130 Members of Congress. Among other goals, the Caucus works to raise national awareness of the dangers posed by meth abuse and to advance strong public policy to fight against meth manufacturing, distribution and use.