Thomas Daschle: “As we continue to debate the priorities of this year's budget resolution, I want to take this opportunity to discuss a…”

“As we continue to debate the priorities of this year's budget resolution, I want to take this opportunity to discuss a growing problem in America--one that has had an especially devastating impact on South Dakota and other rural States. That problem is the spread of methamphetamine. Over the course of the last decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the trafficking and abuse of methamphetamine in rural States. In fact, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Agency recently stated, "Meth is now the number one drug in rural America--absolutely, positively, end of question." South Dakota, like many States across the country, is struggling to find ways to combat this latest drug epidemic. Methamphetamine is highly addictive, and can have devastating health effects, including psychotic behavior and brain damage, and produces withdrawal symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, and aggression. Chronic methamphetamine use can cause anxiety, confusion, and violent behavior. Every year, hundreds of people die from methamphetamine-related causes, and the number of admissions to treatment for methamphetamine throughout the United States increased from 14,554 in 1992 to 80,678 in 2001, an increase of over 500 percent. The problem is getting worse. In 2001, 10 percent of all South Dakotans who sought State-funded inpatient treatment services indicated that meth was the primary substance of abuse. In 2002, the number grew to 17 percent.”