Here is latest from the Washington Post on delightful new assault on free speech brought to us from Dianne Feinstein and Orin Hatch.
 
                              The Washington Post
  May 26, 2000, Friday, Final Edition
 SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. A34
 LENGTH: 330 words
 HEADLINE: The Anti-Meth Bill 
 
   THE SO-CALLED Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act has been
burrowing its way through Congress without attracting much public attention. Some
sunshine is called for.  The Senate passed the bill last year both as part of a
bankruptcy reform bill and as a stand-alone measure. Both parties have supported
it, and the bankruptcy bill is now pending in a conference committee. Two
provisions that criminalize the dissemination of information about drugs may
violate constitutional protections of free speech.
 
   The first makes it a crime to "directly or indirectly advertise for
sale" drugs or drug paraphernalia. When such advertising is in electronic
form--such as on a Web page--the government could order the Internet service
provider to remove it. But what is "indirect" advertising? The category is so vague
as to threaten legitimate speech. For example, the provision could plausibly
be read to prevent a group advocating the legalization of medical marijuana
from providing a hypertext link to a site associated with a drug buyers club
for AIDS patients. That can't be constitutional.
 
   The other provision makes it a felony to distribute information about
the manufacturing of controlled substances intending that the information
will be used to commit a crime or knowing that a recipient means to misuse it.
This section, modeled on legislation prohibiting the distribution of bomb-making information, also seems overly broad, no matter how well-intentioned.
The mere dissemination of information, especially without specific intent to
further crime, seems within the bounds of free speech protections. Even where
the publisher does intend that the information will be used for crimes, the
First Amendment may still protect the disclosure in many instances.
  The methamphetamines bill has improved in conference with the removal
of a troubling section that would have expanded federal authority to conduct
secret searches. But more work needs to be done.
 
                   .