Lafayette Reporter

Senator John Kennedy has introduced the Preventing Unnecessary Resource Expenditures (PURE) Act in an effort to simplify methamphetamine prosecution standards. The bill aims to eliminate the distinction between pure and impure methamphetamine in federal criminal law, a change intended to streamline legal processes and enhance community safety.

Kennedy highlighted the increasing danger of meth on the streets due to its higher purity levels compared to 40 years ago. "The meth on the streets today is far purer and more dangerous than it was 40 years ago because Mexican drug cartels and their Chinese chemical suppliers want to profit off of poisoning Americans. The PURE Act would keep Louisianians’ communities safe by making it easier to prosecute meth dealers," he stated.

The bill is cosponsored by Senators Bill Hagerty and Ted Cruz. Hagerty expressed concern over the drug overdose epidemic affecting U.S. communities, noting that "the PURE Act closes an antiquated loophole that burdens drug testing laboratories and delays justice." He supports empowering prosecutors to hold methamphetamine dealers accountable.

Cruz emphasized modernizing criminal laws, saying, "I am proud to join Sen. Kennedy in introducing the PURE Act to cut through outdated bureaucracy and ensure our criminal laws reflect modern science." He added that removing distinctions between pure and impure meth would aid law enforcement while maintaining fairness in the legal system.

Currently, mandatory minimum sentences for meth offenses depend on the purity of confiscated drugs—a measure Congress initially used based on assumptions about distribution chain roles. However, with current average purity levels often exceeding 90%, this standard is considered obsolete.

This outdated requirement also places a burden on prosecutors and crime labs, consuming resources such as over 8,000 hours annually spent by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on purity testing alone.

The shift towards purer meth correlates with increased involvement from Mexican drug cartels using Chinese chemical precursors. Overdose deaths involving psychostimulants like meth have surged dramatically since 2002, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Meth became the second most common drug involved in overdose deaths after fentanyl in 2020, with significant fatalities recorded from 2021 through 2023.