Tom Harkin: “there is a plague sweeping across our Nation. It is ruining an untold number of lives, claiming countless numbers of our…”

“there is a plague sweeping across our Nation. It is ruining an untold number of lives, claiming countless numbers of our children. It is in our streets as well as our classrooms. Drugs have become more abundant. But there is a new drug, one that is far more addictive and readily available than heroin, cocaine, or any other illegal narcotic. Methamphetamine is becoming the leading addictive drug in this Nation. From the suburbs, to city streets, to the corn rows of Iowa, meth is destroying thousands of lives every year. The majority of those lives, unfortunately, are our children. Methamphetamine is commonly referred to as Iowa's drug of choice in my State. It is reaching epidemic proportions as it sweeps from the west coast, ravages through the Midwest, and is now beginning to reach the east coast. The trail of destruction of human lives as a result of methamphetamine addiction stretches across America. To illustrate the violence that meth elicits in people, methamphetamine is cited as a contributing factor in 80 percent of domestic violence cases in my State, and a leading factor in a majority of violent crimes. I recently introduced the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act which I think will get support and get through the Senate. But I offer this amendment today as an opportunity to take immediate action to help our Nation's law enforcement in their war on methamphetamine.”