Pubdate: Wed, 28 Dec 2005
Source: Idaho Mountain Express (ID)
Copyright: 2005 Express Publishing, Inc
Contact:  http://www.mtexpress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2296
Author: Matt Furber, staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?203 (Terrorism)

FEDS' ANTI-METH BILL DIES WITH PATRIOT ACT EXTENSION

Hopeful that more federal money will still come in 2006 to help fight
crime related to methamphetamine abuse, Blaine County Sheriff Walt
Femling's hopes were temporarily dashed last week as Congress
adjourned for the holidays.

Scheduled as a rider on the USA Patriot Act renewal bill, legislation
geared toward regulating the production of ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine was killed when the U.S. Senate voted to extend the
Patriot Act for six months. Methamphetamine legislation that was
approved by the House of Representatives earlier in the month was
stricken from the bill.

Femling, who sits on the board of the National Association of Counties
(NACo), said the organization has adopted methamphetamine addiction as
its top priority in the near term.

"Young people's lives are being destroyed by meth," Femling said.
"(Police) are taking children out of "meth lab" houses ... For those
reasons communities are stepping up to get something done."

The legislation would have limited purchases of cold medicine that
contains ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to about 120 pills per day and
would have required retailers to store off-the-shelf medicine like
Sudafed, NyQuil and Benadryl behind the counter. The bill was also
geared to monitoring manufacturers of the base ingredients used for
making meth. The goal to prevent shipments of large quantities to
"superlabs" is expected to be a top order of business when the Senate
reconvenes this winter. It will be for NACo.

Blaine County Probation Officer Jodi Brown said one of his probation
clients told him last week that he does not want to come back to the
Wood River Valley until meth has been eradicated.

"We have some successes (getting people off of meth), but families
have no idea what's going on," Brown said. "It's so addictive. What
I'd like to see is a reward (if you help) bust your local meth dealer."

Brown echoed Femling, who said that community watch programs and
intervention will also have to be part of the fight to protect Blaine
County from problems associated with meth addiction.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin