The Methamphetamine Response Act, a bill introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), was signed into law yesterday. The new law, which passed the Senate in December and the House in February with broad bipartisan support, directs the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to implement a plan to address the rising use of methamphetamine.
“After working on this critical issue for the last few years, I’m pleased to see our Methamphetamine Response Act has been signed into law after receiving strong bipartisan support from Congress. While meth isn’t a new drug, traffickers are finding ways to increase its potency and widen distribution, which has resulted in a spike in overdose rates. Our new law will help law enforcement better respond to the challenges presented by drug traffickers’ evolving tactics, and it will ensure our federal partners continue prioritizing a response and strategy to address the meth crisis. I’d like to thank Senator Feinstein for her partnership on this issue,” Grassley said.
“I thank President Biden for signing this important legislation into law. Methamphetamine abuse has soared in recent years, with the NIH estimating that meth overdose deaths nearly tripled between 2015 and 2019. Now that our bill has become law, the Office of National Drug Control Policy will develop and implement a plan specifically targeting the rising use of methamphetamine. We can and must do more to prevent these senseless overdose deaths,” Feinstein said.
Grassley currently serves as co-chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. Last July, Grassley and Feinstein published a joint op-ed discussing bipartisan strategies to address rising drug abuse and overdoses.
Specifically, the Methamphetamine Response Act will:
- Declare methamphetamine as an emerging drug threat.
- Require ONDCP to develop, implement and make public, within 90 days of enactment, a national emerging threats response plan that is specific to methamphetamine.
- Require ONDCP’s plan to be updated annually and include the following:
- An assessment of the methamphetamine threat, including current availability and demand for the drug;
- An assessment of evidence-based prevention and treatment programs, as well as law enforcement programs;
- Short- and long-term goals, including those focused on supply and demand reduction and on expanding the availability and effectiveness of treatment and prevention programs;
- Performance measures pertaining to the plan’s goals;
- The level of funding needed to implement the plan; and
- An implementation strategy, goals and objectives for a media campaign.
