Mike Crapo: “In September, the Finance Committee held a hearing on the efficacy, over the past year, of the Combat Methamphetamine…”

“In September, the Finance Committee held a hearing on the efficacy, over the past year, of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, or the Combat Meth Act, for short. The Combat Meth Act implemented restrictions on drugs that go into the production of methamphetamines. Methamphetamine abuse has devastated lives, families, and communities across our Nation and across the world. The testimony given at this hearing by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of State, and State agencies indicated that while the Combat Meth Act helped reduce the home production of methamphetamine across the U.S., it is now flowing at historic levels across our borders from countries where production controls are much less rigid. A 2006 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report found that my home State of Idaho had one of the highest rates of methamphetamine use in the preceding 12 months of those aged 12 and older. In rural Idaho, especially, the issue of methamphetamine abuse has almost become commonplace: I visit with local officials and community leaders to hear about problems affecting their community when I am home in Idaho. When I ask if it is still a problem, the response is almost always 'of course,' as if the very question was a little naive. This troubles me greatly.”