Assembly Minority Leader Charles H. Nesbitt and members of the Assembly Minority Conference today unveiled a comprehensive plan to halt the scourge of methamphetamine (meth) production that has increased dramatically in New York State over the past five years. Law enforcement officers and a representative of the New York Farm Bureau joined the Assembly members in announcing the legislation.

The proposal would make it a crime to possess the makings of a clandestine meth lab, increase penalties for theft of the liquid fertilizer used in a popular meth "recipe," make it harder for meth "cooks" to obtain the ingredients for the drug, protect children living in or near meth labs and create new regulations for the clean-up of dangerous meth production sites.

"We view this legislation as a preemptive strike, aimed at stopping a brewing meth crisis in New York State," Assembly Minority Leader Charles H. Nesbitt (R,C,I-Albion) said. "Our proposals will give law enforcement the tools they need to force clandestine meth ’cooks’ to close down their ’kitchens’ for good and protect the innocent victims of this horrific drug."

Inexpensive and relatively easy to produce at home or even in the trunk of a car, meth (also known as speed, crank, crystal, ice) is manufactured with common household items, including cold medicine, lithium batteries, drain cleaner and starter fluid. The extremely addictive stimulant is fast becoming the crack-cocaine of the 21st century with a "high" that can last up to 24 hours. The drug can be injected, smoked, snorted or ingested orally. Use of meth can cause serious physical problems, even death.

After thriving in California for years, meth production and use has steadily moved east, wreaking havoc along the way. Prior to 2000, only a few meth labs could be found in New York State. Since then, police seizures have increased dramatically, from three labs in 1999 to 73 in 2003.

In Jefferson County, a meth "hot spot," twenty-two methamphetamine labs were broken up by state police in 2003. Authorities also exposed 23 underground meth labs that same year in Tioga County, another meth hotbed.

On Long Island, the popularity of crystal meth is contributing to the rapidly growing cases of hepatitis C there. And much of the meth produced in Upstate New York labs is sold on the streets of New York City, where meth use is contributing to the AIDS problem.

Assemblywoman Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava (R,C,WF,I-Gouverneur), ranking Minority member on the Codes Committee, who represents parts of Jefferson County, said, "We need to sound the alarm that this epidemic is fast taking hold in every corner of New York State. The measures we propose would attack the problem at its root to stop production of this insidious drug before it starts."

Assemblyman Thomas O’Mara (R,C-Horseheads), who represents Chemung, Schuyler, and parts of Tioga Counties, said, "One needs not look far to see the human toll this drug can take. Obviously, it is devastating to the lives and families of those who abuse it, but it goes even further. Last year, two Sheriff’s Deputies in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, right below my district, were shot and killed when they tried to make meth-related arrests. Our proposals will stop the production of meth before it begins and help keep law enforcement officers out of harm’s way."

Theft of anhydrous ammonia, an integral ingredient in the "Nazi" method of meth production, poses another growing problem in the state’s rural areas. According to the New York Farm Bureau, farmers typically use anhydrous ammonia as a fertilizer applied to corn fields during the growing season. In recent years, illegal drug manufacturers throughout New York and other states have traveled to this state’s "corn belt" to steal anhydrous ammonia from farm storage and business, resulting in supply shortages and rising costs. Anhydrous ammonia, which must stay under pressure to remain liquid, can be deadly if handled incorrectly. Cayuga County, in Central New York, reported 200 thefts of the ammonia in a two-year period.

Assemblyman Gary Finch (R,C-Springport), who represents parts of Tioga and Cayuga counties, among others, said, "Symptoms of the chaos and crime caused by meth use and production are particularly evident in my district. We see not only the physical effects the drug has on its users, but a dramatic increase in the theft from farmers of the anhydrous ammonia used to make it. Increasing penalties for those who steal the liquid fertilizer to produce meth will send a clear message that Cayuga County and all of New York is serious about eradicating this insidious drug from our state."

Assemblyman Daniel J. Burling (R,C-Castile), the Legislature’s only registered pharmacist, said, "Meth production is a prime example of how everyday over-the-counter drugs can be used for nefarious purposes. We need to make sure these products are not being bought in bulk by people who are seeking to perpetuate this plague."

Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess said, "Meth presents danger on many fronts. It is cheap and easy to produce, it results in theft and other crime, it can kill those who use it, and it puts law enforcement officers at risk. I am encouraged that Leader Nesbitt and the Assembly Minority members put forth necessary legislation to address this important issue."

Cayuga County Sheriff Rob Outhouse said, "With this legislation we will be able to charge these desperate ’Crank’ addicts with a crime that more accurately meets the level of the act committed when stealing and possessing anhydrous ammonia. Furthermore, once charged, those who are released on bail and flee the state can be extradited back to New York now that the crimes become Felony grade."

John Lincoln, President of New York Farm Bureau, said "Our members in the bigger corn-growing regions of central New York are more and more contending with the theft of anhydrous ammonia from their farms and the scourge that this drug brings to our agricultural regions," said John Lincoln, President of New York Farm Bureau, which has more than 36,000 members. We find it troubling that the menace of methamphetamine production is spreading to the rural farming areas of upstate New York. We support any legislative effort that helps deter the theft of expensive fertilizer from our farms and the reprehensible purpose for which it’s used."

Tioga County Sheriff Gary Howard said, "Law enforcement officials in the Twin Tiers are all too familiar with the dangers of methamphetamine use and production. By cracking down on the manufacture of this substance, the bill proposed by Assembly Minority members will help stop the problem before it starts. I wholeheartedly support the enactment of this legislation."