Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) has introduced new legislation aimed to curb methamphetamines production and trade. The bill, H.R. 1616, would double the maximum jail time from 10 to 20 years for those convicted of producing or trafficking methamphetamines or other illegal drugs in the presence of children.



The bill comes as the result of a February 23rd, 2005 meeting organized by Congressman McHenry in Lenoir, NC. McHenry, who is vice-chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Drug Policy, invited sheriffs from 7 western North Carolina counties, officials from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), and various local narcotics officers to discuss solutions to the methamphetamines epidemic.



“First and foremost, we must protect our children from illegal drugs,” said Congressman McHenry. “This bill is common sense approach advocated by local sheriffs and drug enforcement officials that will double the maximum penalties for anyone who produces or traffics methamphetamines in the presence of kids.”



Congressman McHenry’s bill was immediately cosponsored by 12 members of Congress from all parts of the United States.



Methamphetamines and the clandestine labs used in its production represent a growing problem in North Carolina. The Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy stated in 1998 that meth had become the United States’ primary drug threat. Since then, meth production has increased all over the country.



The most innocent victims of the meth problem are children who are exposed to labs run out of their homes by parents, caretakers, or guardians. An on-going study initiated in 2003 indicates that meth and chemical contamination permeates every room of a home or structure where a meth lab is operating. Children exposed to meth chemicals are at an immediate risk of headaches, nausea and dizziness, and more chronic exposure may lead to cancer along with damage to the brain, liver, kidneys, spleen and immune system.



In 2004 alone, over 2,700 children were found in methamphetamines labs seized by law enforcement officials – amounting to an astounding 34% presence in total seizures.

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