(Washington D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member
of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she included $2.2
million for Washington state’s methamphetamine prevention efforts in the Fiscal
Year 2011 Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill that was
approved today by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill provides $1
million for the Washington State Methamphetamine Initiative (WSMI) and $1.2
million for the National
Methamphetamine Training and Technical Assistance Center (NMTTAC) in Pierce
County.
“I’m proud to have secured the investments necessary to continue our
fight against this highly dangerous and addictive drug,” said Senator
Murray. “These investments in meth prevention efforts will ensure that
the progress we have made fighting meth use will continue.”
The continuation of funding for the WSMI was not included in the Fiscal Year
2011 bill by the House CJS Appropriations Committee. Without Senator Murray’s
efforts to include this funding, a critical tool in our fight against meth use
would have been lost.
The WSMI is a proactive coalition of public and private groups that work in
conjunction with federal, state and local agencies. The funding included in
this year’s bill will help the WSMI to address new and emerging threats, such
as gang-related drug activity, border trafficking and a growing number of
Mexican drug cartels.
In 2007, Senator Murray worked to establish the NMTTAC in partnership with
the Safe Streets Campaign, the Pierce County Alliance, and the WSMI.
Their goal was to create the first major national meth resource center in the United
States that could provide support and expertise to meth-impacted communities
across the country. The center was also part of an effort to more
aggressively target meth use within Washington state itself.
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