Springfield, Ill.-Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed into law a bill aimed at methamphetamine makers by making penalties much more severe for the theft of anhydrous ammonia, according to the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Assn. State Sen. Bill Haine and State Rep. Dan Beiser, both Alton legislators, were sponsors of SB274, raising the criminal classification to a Class 4 felony, which calls for to up to six years in prison and $25,000 in fines. Prior to the fertilizer’s industry efforts to work with the legislature to strengthen penalties, stealing ammonia was considered a misdemeanor, which was a $75 fine. IFCA President Jean Payne reported, “This is just the latest effort in Illinois to elevate the seriousness of stealing anhydrous ammonia. IFCA first lobbied to make ammonia theft a felony in the year 2000, and this is the third time since then that the penalty for theft has been upgraded by the Illinois legislature. It’s a sign that the fertilizer industry has been joined by many legislators who now consider the meth problem a truly significant plague on the state of Illinois, and they have made efforts to combat this problem a high priority.”
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