Congressman George Nethercutt

"As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I helped to secure language in the Fiscal Year 2002 Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations bill, which will provide $4 million in federal funding to Washington State for enforcement, treatment and prevention activities. This is the highest amount of funding any state received.

Ignoring this problem or cultivating its acceptance corrodes American society. Far from an expression of individual autonomy, drug use is in fact inimical to personal freedom. Meth, like all drugs, reduces the capacity of individuals to participate in the community and the American Dream. Laws are established to regulate radical expressions of freedom. Such expressions negatively impact the larger community and tyrannically take away the rights of others. As a tyrant, addiction controls, it does not free. Drug abuse directly destroys the life, liberty and happiness of addicts. Perhaps more importantly, however, it destroys these rights -- which our Constitution was written to preserve -- for other innocent Americans.

It is vital for communities to come together on all fronts to halt this burgeoning trend. We need to provide principals, teachers, and other educators the power to take action once they identify drugs on their campuses. We must provide law enforcement officers and judicial officials with the funds to bust these labs and prosecute offenders. Finally, we need to provide parents with accurate information so they can talk to their children about the dangers associated with this drug.

I will continue to explore potential solutions to this complex problem and urge each individual to work against this rising trend. I commend you for taking time to learn more about meth and its danger to society."