Mark Kennedy: “from keeping our children safe to winning the war on terrorism, we face many challenges, but few are like meth, which…”

“from keeping our children safe to winning the war on terrorism, we face many challenges, but few are like meth, which threatens lives, safety and health, at great cost to all of us. I am pleased that this conference report contains many significant provisions that I have authored, including 4 enhanced criminal penalties originally introduced in the Kennedy-Hooley SLAM Act. It also contains a drug certification provision of mine that will stop the flood of meth from international superlabs. We must send a signal to the pushers of this poison that they are not welcome in our communities. Madam Speaker, this bipartisan legislation deserves the support of both bodies because it is a comprehensive response to the methamphetamine problem in America. It will send a strong signal that Congress is serious about fighting the scourge of meth. While the criminal penalties in this bill would be more effective if they were as tough as what were originally introduced, Chairmen Sensenbrenner and Souder showed tremendous leadership in moving this bill to the Floor, and I urge the swift passage of this important legislation. Most importantly, our actions today will send a signal to the law enforcement officers who wake up every morning to protect our families that we stand with them in the fight against drugs and will work to give them every tool they need to be successful.…”