The OC Blog Back Issues Our Mission Contact Us Masthead
Sudsy Wants You to Join the Oregon Commentator
 

Oregon’s Bumblin’, Stumblin’ Government Eyes Anti-Meth Laws

There’s a story in today’s Register-Guard about the Oregon government’s attempts to cut down on rampant methamphetamine use throughout the state. Governor Teddy Kulongoski has called for all medicines containing pseudoephedrine to be put behind pharmacy counters. Fantastic. This will only increase the cost of meth and, consequently, the amount that addicts have to steal in order to get their next fix. Even better, now when I’m having a cold I’ll have to wait behind all the aching and impotent old people just to stop my nose from running like a faucet. A few of the other proposals cited by Guard reporter David Steves are a bit more sensible, however:

Set tougher criminal penalties for people who allow children, elderly or disabled people into a home used as a meth lab.
Make laws establishing new crimes aimed at the meth trade, including the crimes of dumping meth waste, operating a meth lab, and distributing meth equipment and chemicals.
Crack down on owners of contaminated meth labs by setting a 180-day time limit for owners to decontaminate homes that have been declared unfit for use because they had been the site of a methamphetamine lab.
Create immunity for people who report what they believe to be activities involving meth or meth-making precursors.
Authorize the state welfare agency to suspend an individual’s food stamp benefits when there is evidence that the person traded those benefits for drugs, and has a prior drug conviction.

Here’s an even better idea: how about some more jobs?

  1. Danimal says:

    You’d argue that, yes. But bathtub meth is the working man’s speed and crack the working man’s coke.* While the market for “getting high” may be price inelastic, the market for these drugs in particular likely isn’t. Make them too expensive and most users may just go back to good ol’ booze and reefer.

    Bumblin’ and stumblin’ note: while all pseudoephedrine products are now locked behind the counter, it is still perfectly easy to buy Primatene tablets which contain a hefty dose of real ephedrine. A raw, true amphetamine which surely isn’t all that difficult to make into crystal meth.

    The herbal form of ephedrine, ephedra, was of course banned by the FDA a year or two ago. But it remains available as a good clean tab of speed for asthma sufferers like me.

    I love it.

    ___
    *By “working man” in this situation I mean “man working until he stops showing up, steals money from the business, or attacks his boss with a tire iron.”

  2. Timothy says:

    And, hence, burning Coos County could work.

    Although I’d argue that the market for drugs is extremely, extremely price inelastic.

  3. Casey says:

    I actually think driving up the cost of meth might lower the number of addicts, as it’s only popular because it’s so cheap.

  4. Timothy says:

    Stop worring about meth, deregulate the welfare state, burn Coos County. I think this is likely the solution.

  5. Jean-Claude Ontario says:

    Here is my 3 point plan:

    -End social welfare to any suspected drug user
    -Create a bounty for meth users and reporting meth labs
    -advertize more that it is legal in oregon to use deady physical force to protect property.

    That will save oregon tax payers millions and solve the meth problem. Yay!

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.