Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has signed into law a methamphetamines (meth) trafficking bill presented by one of Stoughton's state legislatures.

The law closes "a glaring loophole" in Massachusetts' drug trafficking laws by creating penalties for methamphetamines trafficking, state Rep. Louis Kafka (D-Stoughton) said in a press release on Monday, July 9.

According to the release, "the language provides that methamphetamines, a Class B substance, will now be included in the list of drugs eligible for prosecution under the Commonwealth’s trafficking laws."

"Up until now, law enforcement was unable to bring sufficient charges against people who were bringing large quantities of meth into the Commonwealth. Having the Attorney General highlight this as a priority has been extremely helpful in getting this done,” Kafka said in the release.

Kafka, who represents Precincts 2,3,4 and 6 in Stoughton, and state Sen. James Timilty (D-Walpole) spearhead the bill after Walpole Police Chief Richard Stillman raised the issue to them, according to the press release.

"Correcting this oversight was a no-brainer, and I'm grateful to the Chief for bringing it to our attention," Timilty said in the release. "Meth use has become a real problem in this country and law enforcement needs to have the proper tools to combat it."