Press Release |
|
| Embargoed until 10:00 a.m. Thursday, November 30th, 2006 Contact: ONDCP Public Affairs (202) 395–6618 |
PRESIDENT BUSH PROCLAIMS NOVEMBER 30TH, 2006
NATIONAL METHAMPHETAMINE AWARENESS DAY
Nationwide Meth Lab Seizures Decrease by Nearly One-Third;
Results of Workplace Drug Testing Shows Significant Declines in Meth Use;
NEW WHITE HOUSE REPORT DETAILS
STATE-BY-STATE DECLINES IN METHAMPHETAMINE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(Washington, D.C.)—Today, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released a new state-by-state report detailing significant declines in nationwide methamphetamine production and use. The report, Pushing Back Against Meth: A Progress Report on the Fight Against Methamphetamine in the United States, shows that there has been a more than 30 percent decline in the number of meth lab seizures nationwide. Additionally, there has been a 12.4 percent decline in the number of positive amphetamine workplace drug tests.
According to the report, monthly methamphetamine laboratory incidents have significantly decreased since reaching a high of 2,049 in March of 2004. In 2004, there were about 17,750 meth lab incidents, compared to approximately 12,500 incidents in 2005—a drop of more than 30 percent. Additionally, data from the Nation's largest workplace drug testing company, Quest Diagnostics, indicate a 12.4 percent decrease in positive tests for amphetamines (which includes methamphetamine) for the first five months of 2006, compared to the same period one year earlier. Positive results specifically for methamphetamine have declined by 45 percent over two years.
John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, stated, "The results of this survey corroborate data showing decreases in meth use and demonstrate that when Americans push back against the illegal drug problem, it gets smaller. State and Federal action against methamphetamine has saved lives and rescued many Americans from the misery of meth addiction, violence, and crime. We encourage Americans to observe National Methamphetamine Awareness Day by joining community efforts that are helping to educate fellow citizens about the harms of illegal drug use."
Pushing Back Against Meth: A Progress Report on the Fight Against Methamphetamine in the United States surveys the effects of anti-meth action in all 50 States and compares state laws to the Federal standard which was enacted in September 2006 as part of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005. In July 2006, President Bush released the National Synthetic Drug Control Strategy, which set dual goals of reducing methamphetamine use by 15 percent and the number of methamphetamine labs by 25 percent over the next three years. The most recent data from the University of Michigan's 2005 Monitoring the Future survey found that meth use among 8th, 10th, and 12th, graders, combined, has dropped by approximately one-third since 2001.
For more information regarding national efforts to combat meth use visit: www.MethResources.gov.
