Dianne Feinstein: “I come here because I have spoken on this floor five times about methamphetamine. There is good news. I think it is…”

“I come here because I have spoken on this floor five times about methamphetamine. There is good news. I think it is stellar news. It is how this body can work together to solve what is a very real problem in America. I mentioned before that methamphetamine has been a major problem in the State of California. As a matter of fact, the DEA has determined that California is the ``source country'' for methamphetamine, much like Colombia is for cocaine. In Operation Pipeline, conducted by the DEA, 92.8 percent of all methamphetamine seized in a national drug operation actually originated in California. Hospital admissions are up, way above that for cocaine. Deaths are up. Medical costs are up. Methamphetamine has become a real problem and a national emergency. Last June and July--that is 1995--I wrote to the Attorney General laying out the vast extent of the methamphetamine problem in California and asking her for proposals to crack down on this trade, especially on the precursor chemicals used to make methamphetamine. Over the ensuing months, my staff and I worked with prosecutors, narcotics officers, and the California Department of Justice, in a bipartisan way, to try to develop solutions. In February of this year, Senator Grassley and I, along with Senator Reid, introduced the Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996.”