State Senator Nell Soto (D – Pomona) announced today that she has been appointed to serve on the newly formed Senate Select Committee on Methamphetamine Abuse.

Soto was the only Inland lawmaker named to serve on the committee, which will be chaired by Senator Jackie Speier (D – Hillsborough). A Speier staffer who will serve as consultant to the committee reports that the six-member panel will likely convene its first hearing in January.

In recent years, national drug enforcement officials have referred to the Riverside County-San Bernardino County region as the “methamphetamine capital of the United States,” in part due to the large number of meth-producing laboratories in the Inland region. And the U.S. Attorney for the region warned in 2001 that meth would likely surpass cocaine as the most readily available narcotic in the two counties.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, “methamphetamine addicts suffering the effects of prolonged or chronic abuse often display paranoia, memory loss, aggression, mood disturbances, and a tendency toward violence.”

“Methamphetamine is a serious and growing epidemic that continues to leave many innocent victims, particularly children, in its wake,” Soto says. “By some estimates, more than 12 million Americans have already tried this insidious drug – it’s the top narcotic problem facing law enforcement officials, leaving a growing number of meth-addicted babies in its wake.

“Meth impacts our society more than any other drug,” Soto adds, “and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee to make solving this problem a top legislative priority. Because meth poses such a major menace to our local communities, I also look forward to working with community members to reduce the threat here at home.”