Kennedy champions PURE Act to cut red tape and help law enforcement crack down on meth traffickers

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today reintroduced the Preventing Unnecessary Resource Expenditures (PURE) Act, legislation that gives law enforcement stronger, cleaner tools to combat meth trafficking by eliminating the obsolete legal distinction between pure and impure methamphetamine.

"Meth addiction is tearing families apart in Louisiana and across America. Our law enforcement officers should be able to fight this poison without having to jump through pointless, burdensome and expensive hoops. The PURE Act scraps outdated rules that waste precious time, burn through millions of taxpayer dollars and keep our communities less safe. I urge my colleagues to support this common-sense measure-it's long overdue," said Kennedy.

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) cosponsored Kennedy's bill.

"The distinction between pure and impure methamphetamine complicates enforcement and hampers justice. The PURE Act updates outdated rules so our criminal laws reflect modern science, strengthens the ability of law enforcement to pursue drug traffickers, and ensures the American legal system remains fair and clear. I am proud to join Senator Kennedy in introducing this legislation," said Cruz.

"The drug overdose epidemic is devastating communities across the United States. The PURE Act closes an antiquated loophole that burdens drug testing laboratories and delays justice. I'm pleased to support this effort to empower our prosecutors and hold methamphetamine dealers accountable," said Hagerty.

"It should be easier for law enforcement to go after the people who bring dangerous drugs like meth into our communities - not harder. Meth is responsible for the destruction of countless lives, families and entire communities across the country, and it contributes to numerous other crimes. This legislation removes outdated standards and empowers law enforcement to adequately hold meth traffickers accountable. I'm glad to work with Senators Kennedy, Cruz and Hagerty on this necessary bill," said Graham.

Under current law, the mandatory minimum sentence for meth offenses hinges on the purity of the seized methamphetamine, determined through extensive testing. Congress originally made this distinction because purer meth was thought to indicate a higher-level trafficker.

But in today's meth market, nearly all meth is highly pure. As of 2025, U.S. meth averages 95.1% purity, up from 43% in 2002, largely because of the dominance of the Mexican drug cartels and the use of Chinese chemical precursors.

Despite virtually all meth now being highly pure, the federal government still requires extensive purity testing. Each year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spends more than 8,000 hours performing these unnecessary tests-burning through lab time, specialized equipment and millions in taxpayer money for a metric that means little.

This outdated requirement burdens prosecutors and wastes valuable law enforcement resources at a time when meth is a greater threat to public health than ever before. In 2020, meth became the second most common drug involved in overdose deaths (after fentanyl) and has remained there since.

Kennedy's PURE Act:

• Creates a single, straightforward legal standard for methamphetamine-"meth mixture"-instead of separate standards for pure and impure meth.

• Eliminates an outdated rule that wastes law enforcement resources and slows down prosecutions.

• Ensures equal treatment under the law by removing a distinction that no longer reflects the reality of modern meth trafficking and replaces it with one standard that reflects the danger meth poses.

• Reduces the burden on prosecutors and crime labs, freeing them to focus on building cases and protecting our communities.

The PURE Act brings federal law in line with today's drug trafficking landscape, cuts unnecessary bureaucracy and strengthens law enforcement's ability to take dangerous drug dealers off the streets.

Full bill text is available here.