Joe Biden: Biden Marks November as National Methamphetamine Awareness Month

Biden Resolution Shines a Spotlight on National Meth Epidemic

November 16, 2007 -- Washington, DC – To help address the continued scourge of methamphetamine use in America, U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) joined Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and other Senators in cosponsoring a resolution designating November as National Methamphetamine Awareness Month (S.Res.366). The Senate unanimously passed the resolution.

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“Meth abuse destroys lives, families and communities all across America,” said Sen. Biden, Co-Chairman of the Senate Anti-Meth Caucus. “National Methamphetamine Awareness Month shines a spotlight on the growing challenges presented by meth use and production in our nation.”

“While our efforts in Congress have helped reduce the number of homegrown meth labs, these labs still present an incredible danger to law enforcement officers who raid them; they are an environmental nightmare; and most importantly, they’re an unbelievable hazard to kids,” said Sen. Biden. “We’ve got to help state and local authorities by providing them with the necessary training, education, and resources to deal with this disturbing and destructive trend. Meth production and use is like a balloon: clamp down on one side and the other side swells. We need to meet this challenge with an approach that addresses both the supply and the demand.”

Sen. Biden has been at the forefront of national policy on methamphetamine for over 15 years, issuing reports in the early 1990s warning that meth would make its way across the country and negatively impact rural America; writing major meth legislation in 1996 and 2000; and cosponsoring the Combat Meth Act of 2005, which regulates cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, the active ingredients in methamphetamine. He is also a founding member of the Senate Anti-Meth Caucus, a group focused on devising a comprehensive, nationwide strategy to combat methamphetamine addiction.

Source: Senator Joseph R. Biden