Combating Methamphetamine Epidemic

COMBATING METHAMPHETAMINE EPIDEMIC

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, it is clear that legislation is needed to combat the methamphetamine epidemic sweeping my State and much of the country. This drug is destroying the lives of the people abusing it, their families and their communities. For years, the problem has been talked about, but not enough has been done.

To draw attention to Oregon's meth crisis, my colleague Senator SMITH and I will be periodically coming to the Senate floor to talk about the meth problem in our State.

Today, I would like to introduce a recent newspaper article from the Oregonian. The June 1 article describes a police bust of ``a massive methamphetamine lab capable of producing 400,000 doses of pure meth at a time--enough to intoxicate the entire adult population of Portland.'' The bust was one of the largest in Oregon history. This is the good news. The bad news is that this lab had been in business for at least five months--producing and distributing thousands of doses of meth.

Despite successes like this bust, the meth epidemic is getting worse, not better. Congress cannot wait any longer to act--we have a duty to address this crisis now. Enough is enough. It is critical that the Congress pass and the President sign the Combat Meth Act, on which Senator SMITH and I are original cosponsors. We must also fully fund the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program and the Byrne Grant program. These initiatives provide much needed reforms and much needed funds, which will help give communities in Oregon and across the Nation the tools they need to fight this terrible problem.

I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the Oregonian article be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:

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