Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel says the state needs to ramp up efforts to fight methamphetamine abuse in the state.
Lawmakers previously took steps to limit access to key ingredients in meth, which Schimel says helped close large-scale labs. However, he told a legislative committee Thursday that Mexican cartels have stepped in since then to fill the void, and use of the drug has risen dramatically in recent years, between 250-300 percent from 2011 to 2015.
“We are all aware of the devastating effects of the opiate epidemic on every county in our state,” Schimel said. “But in some of our western and northern counties, officials describe the meth problem as even worse.”
Schimel says the state needs to tackle the issue in a way similar to how Wisconsin has battled opioid abuse – by targeting supply lines for the drug, while also working to educate the public about the dangers of meth and reduce demand. He’s already directing Department of Justice resources to a public awareness campaign, and he’s calling on law enforcement agencies to turn their attention to the issue as well.