Pubdate: Sun, 31 Jul 2005
Source: Daily Ardmoreite, The (OK)
Copyright: 2005 Daily Ardmoreite
Contact: http://ardmoreite.com/stText/sendLetter.html
Website: http://www.ardmoreite.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1574
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

NEW MEASURES TO METH LAW KEEP RETAILERS HAPPY, BUT OKLAHOMA'S LAWS
STILL ENFORCED

Congress Still Takes Care Of The Common Folks Sometimes.

After Oklahoma's brilliant methamphetamine law was passed, meth lab busts 
dropped from hundreds a year to a handful. Meth-related sentences dropped 
from 50 to 26 per month since the law was passed. Many other states looked 
at Oklahoma's law as a way to fight their own methamphetamine problems.

Measures were introduced at the federal level to fight the problem, but the 
big pharmaceutical companies attempted to water down the proposal.

It appeared until Thursday that the proposal that would move out of 
committee would take the teeth out of our law in Oklahoma.

Sen. Tom Coburn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a 
practicing physician, opposed the bill and was successfully able to remove 
a provision that would have repealed key provisions of Oklahoma's law.

Pharmaceutical companies wanted one national standard so employees in 
different states would not have to be trained differently. The simple 
solution would have been for the Oklahoma law to become the national law. 
But the federal government hardly ever does things the simple way.

The new measure has some amendments and exceptions that were added to keep 
the retailers happy, but the important thing is that Oklahoma's law will 
continue to be enforced. And that means fewer meth labs will be operating 
around the state, fewer children will be exposed to the deadly chemicals 
used to make the drug and law officers can focus on other things.

Thank you, Dr. Coburn.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom