Allard Touts Meth Reforms in Patriot Act.


Mar. 1--The Senate is expected to give final approval to renewing the Patriot Act on Wednesday, but the legislation now includes a package of restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of illegal methamphetamine drugs.

Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., praised the drug package Tuesday, saying it would make needed changes in how cold medicines - a key ingredient in manufacturing meth - are sold.

The drug provisions will:

Restrict the sale of cold medicines with meth precursors (such as Sudafed) to adults with identification and requires stores to record the sale, limiting the daily purchase to any individual to 3.6 grams a day or 9 grams a month.

Toughens the penalties for illegally manufacturing meth and establishes $99 million grant program to assist law enforcement in targeting meth production.

"The main thrust of this legislation is a tough standard for keeping pseudoephedrine products out of the hands of meth manufacturers," Allard said in a statement Tuesday. "Law enforcement officials from across the country have told Congress that these controls are critical to helping eliminate methamphetamine from our communities."

The meth legislation had been pending in Congress for some time and the Republican leadership decided to attach it to the Patriot Act last year as a way to help ensure the passage of the anti-terror legislation. That became a moot issue earlier this year when President Bush and critics in the Senate reached an agreement on some modest changes in the Patriot Act that will guarantee its passage.

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., had been among the holdouts on the Patriot Act but agreed to the White House changes earlier this year.