The latest weapon in the battle against Utah's meth epidemic was unveiled Monday by some of the state's top political leaders.
The Anti-Methamphetamine Proliferation Act of 1999 was outlined by Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, and others during a press conference in front of the Salt Lake City and County Building."In Murray this month, two killers were high on meth," Cannon said, "and we've just experienced the largest meth bust in (state) history in Draper. We recognize the seriousness of the meth epidemic."
The congressional act endorsed by the Senate Judiciary Committee in August provides funding for states to crack down more vigorously on meth labs.
It it sponsored by both Cannon and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. The legislation will help the Drug Enforcement Agency by hiring new agents, who will focus part of their efforts on small and midsize communities.
Last year alone, Utah logged one meth lab bust a day. So far this year, more than 300 labs have been busted in Utah.
The numbers make Utah's cleanup costs extremely high. In the past fiscal year, the state has shelled out $1 million in environmental cleanup costs resulting from meth lab seizures.
Law enforcement officials blame the large number of labs on the easy accessibility of the components or precursors used in the meth manufacturing process. Those chemicals include ephedrine, commonly found in cold medications; cat box litter; and red phosphorus.
Recently, Utah police have gone after meth labs by targeting the illegal sale of massive quantities of precursor chemicals. In a new tactic to thwart meth cooks, Cannon said this legislation will make it illegal to pass out meth recipes.
The proposal will make it a federal crime to provide drug recipe information on the Internet. Police say meth has become so popular that manufacturers often trade cooking tips in "chat rooms."