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Written by Jim Henderson
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Thursday, 11 February 2010 |
First I want to thank all of you for allowing me the opportunity to represent you and
the state of Alabama at the National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition (NNOAC)
meeting in Washington DC last week. The meetings were held January 31st thru February 3rd
with briefings from speakers and organizations as the National Guard Counterdrug Program;
the National Association of Drug Court Professionals; the Department of Justice, Bureau
of Justice Assistance; the District Attorney of Los Angeles County; the National Law
Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund; Retired Chief of Police William Bratton; Minnesota
Senator Amy Klobuchar; the Drug Free America Foundation; the International Association
of Chiefs of Police; the Central Intelligence Agency; Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and DEA
Administrator Michele Leonhart.
On Tuesday February 2nd, meetings were held with Senator Shelby’s staffers Laura Friedel
and Goodloe Sutton. They are extremely supportive of ANOA and true friends of law
enforcement (I have to admit this is my favorite meeting). I also had just a few
moments with the Senator and was able to thank him for his support of the
Byrne-JAG drug task forces. I also met with Bradley Hayes of Senator Jeff Sessions’
Office. After lunch, meetings were held with Representative Bobby Bright and his
staffer Juan Hinojosa; Representative Jo Bonnor and his staffer Luke Strange; and
finally Representative Spencer Bachus’ staffers Philip Swartzfager and Johnathon
Stevens. That night an NNOAC congressional reception was attended by Representative
Brights’ staffers Lewis Lowe, Carrie Adams, Art Richey, Lane Lofton, as well as
Mr. Stevens of Representative Bachus’ office.
On Wednesday February 3rd, meetings were held with Megan Medley from Representative
Aderholt’s Office; Whitney Verett of Representative Mike Roger’s Office;
Nichelle Williams of Representative Artur Davis Office; and finally Representative
Parker Griffith and his staffer Robert LeBranche. Follow-up meetings with Senator
Session’s staffers Pete Landrum and Matt Minor were also conducted.
The primary issues the NNOAC and ANOA are fighting for is continued funding for the
Byrne-Justice Assistance Grants (which funds many law enforcement programs and drug
task forces); drug legalization; input into the adjustment in the crack and cocaine
federal sentencing guidelines; increased funding for the national guard counterdrug
program; the classification of pseudoephedrine as a controlled substance; funding
for the Regional Information Sharing Systems Program (RISS – parent to ROCIC); and
funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).
Probably the most promising item on this agenda is the classification of
pseudoephedrine as a controlled substance. Oregon saw a 95% drop in meth labs after
their legislature enacted this change. Just last week Mississippi passed similar
legislation and a similar bill is said to on the agenda in Montgomery. Oregon Senator
Ron Wyden is introducing a bill to make this federal law. We are hoping we can gather
the support of Senator Sessions (he is on the Judiciary Committee with Senator Wyden)
to get the bill out of committee. In addition, Representative Parker Griffith assured
me that he will sponsor the legislation in the House of Representatives. This is the
one way we can severely cut meth labs. Electronic logs are great for research and
tracking, but it does not prevent labs. Ask Kentucky and other states that have tried tracking.
One additional bit of interest is the enacting of local ordinances to control the sale
of pseudoephedrine in Missouri.
Municipalities in that state have discovered a Food and Drug Administration loophole
that allows communities to control the sales of pseudoephedrine similarly to the Oregon’s laws.
Stay tuned for additional information on this topic! |
