Jeff Fortenberry: “their ramifications are certainly widespread. Butler County, as I just mentioned, is a serene place, a farming…”

“their ramifications are certainly widespread. Butler County, as I just mentioned, is a serene place, a farming community, a wonderful place to raise a family. And yet this shocking statistic of 90 percent is very real and disturbing. The sheriff also reported the same problem that the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) mentioned, that he finds small portable labs for production even in the back of cars. So meth is a particular threat to our rural communities, partly because it can be cooked in this way from small batches from readily available ingredients such as chemicals commonly used in fertilizer and cold medicines, as has been mentioned. Something else to mention, though, is that concocting meth is itself a toxic activity, and it requires a combination of deadly chemicals at high temperatures. Hazardous fumes are produced, and poisonous fires and explosions are common, as the gentleman is aware. Toxic waste is invariably dumped, which spoils the environment and requires dangerous and costly clean-up, another adverse impact of this problem. Let me tell the Members, as well, that in 2000 Nebraska law enforcement discovered 38 labs. In 2004 they dismantled over 300, and one search for a missing person in a wooded area actually turned up 15 meth labs in a 3-square mile area. And, of course, many go undiscovered.…”