Legislators drop bills to toughen meth laws
Like the fabled story of Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned, some lawmakers are fearful the state legislature’s slow response to the methamphetamine problem will allow the epidemic to spread throughout the state.
“By doing nothing, it allows this problem to grow unabated for another year,” said 47th District Rep. Judd Matheny of a recent tabling of meth legislation. “I’m very disappointed because I know the delay will only make the problem worse.”
Matheny, a leading advocate for strengthening the state’s meth laws, has spoken to numerous members of the General Assembly on meth legislation in hopes of overhauling the way the legal system deals with meth-makers. However, the efforts were thwarted this week when a special committee formed to study the meth problem opted to send the question to Gov. Phil Bredesen’s office. The move means the General Assembly will not address the issue until the 2005 session.
“How much further will it spread by then?” Matheny asked. “We see the problem every day here and in other parts of this area. It’s only a matter of time until it spreads throughout the state and this just gives it more time. We’re incubating a time bomb. By the time we do something, the entire state will feel the scourge of methamphetamine.”
Tabling the issue came after more than 30 bills on the topic were proposed during the recent legislative session. Some asked for harsher penalties for those caught cooking meth, while others asked for increased jail terms for people who manufacture the drug in homes where children are present.
The increased jail terms would have cost the state about $7.5 million extra a year to house the prisoners for longer periods.
Matheny said he wants to raise the penalties for meth production to be in line with cocaine, thereby raising it to a Class B felony punishable by up to 12 years in prison. He also wants to extend what constitutes meth manufacturing to include possession of meth-making materials.
Funding for treatment is something Matheny also would like to see; however, due to budgeting concerns, treatment was not part of most packages.
A combination of monetary concerns and not understanding the meth problem, Matheny believes, caused the issue to be treated lightly by some lawmakers.
“One problem is the heads of the ad hoc committee were from Memphis and Nashville, where it isn’t an epidemic yet. The committee should have been chaired by representatives from rural committees where the problem exists,” Matheny said. “If you’ll notice, they made a big deal in Nashville about finding their first meth lab a couple of weeks ago. That’s the same thing Sheriff Jackie Matheny does on a daily basis, finding and seizing meth labs.”
In light of the tabling, Matheny said he and other lawmakers want to urge the governor to move quickly.
“I’d urge the people of our district to call and e-mail the governor and stress the extent of our problem,” Matheny said. “At best, the way things are now, the earliest anything will be done is about 18 months away. How much worse will it be by then?”