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McCune wants methamphetamine added to list of
'strikes'
Graham lawmaker's bill comes 10 years after
similar law vetoed
Rep. Jim McCune today
introduced
House Bill 1954 to create mandatory minimum sentences for
methamphetamine-related crimes and add manufacturing, delivery or
possession of a kilogram of meth to the list of "strikes" which can
result in a lifetime prison sentence.
McCune, R-Graham, noted
it's now been a decade since the Legislature approved a broader bill
only to see it disappear to a gubernatorial veto.
"I understand why the bill
was vetoed back in 1997, but at least one thing's become clear about
meth in the 10 years since: this isn't some fad drug that will run its
course, and it deserves to be ranked up there with the most serious
offenses in our state's criminal code," said McCune, whose legislative
district has been plagued by meth labs for years.
"My bill goes after the
people who deal in kilogram quantities of meth, not the people at the
end of the chain. And it's broad enough to treat those who bring in meth
from Mexico the same as those who 'cook' a kilo themselves. It's time to
pass this into law.
"This measure is a priority
for Republicans in the House and Senate because it would make our
communities safer. That's essential to strengthening families and
ultimately what's best for Washington," McCune added.
HB 1954 would add
manufacturing, delivery or possession with intent to deliver a kilo or
more of meth to the list of "most serious offenses," also known as
strikes under Washington's "three strikes, you're out" law.
In 1997, McCune explained,
Democrats and Republicans in both chambers approved a Senate bill to add
two items to the list of strikes. One was possession of precursor drugs
with intent to manufacture, the second was manufacturing or delivering
meth or possessing it with intent to deliver. The 1997 bill also called
for diverting a portion of money from meth-related fines toward cleaning
up meth labs.
Former Gov. Locke
signed the part about fines for cleanup, McCune said, but he vetoed the
section to make meth a strike, in part because it would be the first
non-violent crime to make the list of strikes, and because it made no
distinction between offenders based on the quantities of the drug
involved.
McCune's measure also
would require a minimum one-year prison sentence for possessing 500
grams (roughly a half-pound) of methamphetamine "precursor" drugs such
as ephredrine, and a minimum two-year sentence for manufacturing,
distributing or possessing two or more kilograms (approximately 4.5
pounds or more) of methamphetamine.
"My bill would strengthen
the penalties for people who are producing or trafficking in sizable
amounts of precursors and meth, and the meth dealers get a bonus -- a
strike. The one-kilo threshold in the strike part of my bill leaves out
the people the former governor referred to as 'simple addicts,' who
sometimes sell small quantities of meth to feed their own habits. Those
small fish don't need to be behind bars the most," McCune said.
"As for the concern about
making this the first non-violent crime on the strike list -- I hope
this Legislature doesn't get bogged down by that. If you've had your
identity stolen or car stolen or other property stolen by a meth addict,
do you feel any less violated because there was no violence involved?
The cooks and dealers who are spreading this poison through our
communities are at the root of those crimes, and this is a way to get
their attention," McCune concluded.
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Contacts: Rep. McCune (360) 786-7824
Eric Campbell, HRC Communications, (360) 786-7720
Visit
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/McCune
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