Pubdate: Mon, 08 Jan 2001
Source: Morning News of Northwest Arkansas (AR)
Copyright: 2001, Donrey Media Group
Contact:  (501) 444-7289
Feedback: http://www.nwamorningnews.com/opinion/submit_viewpoint.tpl
Website: http://www.nwamorningnews.com/
Author: Christy Sales

LAW ENFORCEMENT CALLS JUDY'S PLAN GOOD IDEA

State Representative Says Arkansas Can Be First To Control Meth Ingredients

A box of Sudafed, which contains the ingredient pseudoephedrine, sits 
on a shelf in USA Drug on North Walton Boulevard in Bentonville.

The police chief and prosecuting attorney here say proposed 
legislation removing from store shelves medications that contain 
methamphetamine-making ingredients is a good idea.

Rep. Jan Judy, D-Fayetteville, wants to pass a state law removing all 
medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine from store 
shelves. She says Arkansas would be the first state in the region to 
have such a law.

Judy will introduce such a bill in the Arkansas House of 
Representatives this session to classify certain over-the-counter 
cold medications as controlled substances.

Bentonville Police Chief James Allen calls the proposed bill necessary.

"We need to try anything, because methamphetamine is a huge problem," 
he said. "It's becoming an epidemic."

Allen said that his department has a good relationship with most 
local merchants.

"If a local merchant witnesses suspicious activity, they usually will 
contact us," he said.

Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are common ingredients used in making 
methamphetamine, an illegal drug. In fact, Judy said, they are the 
only ingredients needed in all forms of meth.

If her proposal is passed, medications containing these ingredients 
will be dispensed only through pharmacists.

"There will be limits on the number of packages that can be purchased 
in a 48-hour time period, but those limits have not yet been 
determined," Judy said.

Consumers would not need a prescription to obtain the medication but 
they would have to be at least 17 years old, show identification and 
sign for the products.

This way, all purchases could be monitored, and stores would report 
frequent or suspicious buyers to police.

Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Bob Balfe agrees with Allen.

"I think that the proposal would be a step in the right direction, 
but all states would have to form similar laws," Balfe said.

Balfe believes that methamphetamine is such a unique drug because it 
does not have any imported substances, it can be ingested in many 
different forms, and all of the ingredients are legal.

Meth is becoming such a popular drug in the United States because it 
is cheap and easy to make, and a methamphetamine high can last 
anywhere from eight to 24 hours, as opposed to a cocaine high that 
lasts 20 to 30 minutes, according to the National Institute on Drug 
Abuse.

"If there isn't consistency among states laws, people will just go to 
Oklahoma to get the products to make meth," Balfe said.

Judy said that there are no similar laws in any other states.

"It's about time Arkansas is first in doing something, rather than 
last," she said.

"This law will just make it more difficult to obtain the ingredients 
and will help cut down on home labs, so that the DEA has more time 
and energy to focus on the larger labs," Judy said.

Not everyone agrees.

Heather Shelby, an employee at USA Drug in Bentonville, says that the 
store does not have a problem with suspicious people buying large 
quantities of the products.

"We already report any suspicious purchases, but if it became law, it 
would really be hard to control," Shelby said. "We could control 
prescriptions, but not over-the-counter medications."

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, methamphetamine 
abuse is the dominant drug problem in the West and Southwest regions 
of the United States and may be spreading to other regions.

Arkansas leads the nation in the number of meth labs seized per 
capita in 1999 with 544, according to the federal Drug Enforcement 
Administration.

Balfe also said that, although northern and Midwestern states may not 
have as severe of a meth problem now, they will in the future - if 
the problem is not taken care of.

- - The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe