LANSING, MI-- A bipartisan package of bills that combat meth addiction in Michigan is headed to Governor Snyder for his signature.
Current laws make the group purchasing of products containing pseudoephedrine—a component used to manufacture meth—a felony. The new bills, sponsored by Democratic Representative John Kivela and Republican Senators Tom Casperson and Margaret O’Brien, make it a misdemeanor for someone to solicit another to buy the drugs. They establish a five-year stop-sale alert for a person convicted of attempting to solicit another to purchase. They also create penalties of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine for attempting to solicit purchasers.
“We have meth production laws on the books, and these new laws will tweak them to give prosecutors more flexibility in sentencing those who may be first-time offenders,” said Kivela. “Without being easy on those who break the law, we can still give first-time offenders a chance to turn their lives around.”
