Pubdate: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 Source: Kentucky Post (KY) Copyright: 2002 Kentucky Post Contact: http://www.kypost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/661 Author: Courtney Kinney NEW BILL TARGETS METH LAB SUPPLIES A bill introduced Tuesday will help law enforcement officials fight an influx of makeshift chemical labs in which over-the-counter cold medicine is converted to the illegal drug ''crank.'' House Bill 644 would make it illegal to possess a large quantity of over-the-counter drugs that contain pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine if the intent is to make methamphetamines. It would allow law enforcement to use the mere possession of large amounts of cold medicine - more than 24 grams, or about 33 boxes of 24 tablets - as evidence in and of itself of possible illegal drug activity. ''That would greatly enhance our abilities to prosecute,'' said Sgt. Darren Smith of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Brian Crall, R-Owensboro, would also make it a crime to sell large quantities of the over-the-counter drugs, allowing law enforcement to prosecute people who sell them out the back door. Under current law, it's not a crime to sell mass amounts of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, since it is a legal drug. Law enforcement officials who attended a press conference to support the bill cited cases where the seller knew the intent was to manufacture methamphetamines, but he couldn't be prosecuted because of the law. ''We're not going to let you get off on that loophole,'' Crall said. Production of methamphetamine, which goes by the street names ''crank'' and ''crystal meth,'' is a growing problem that has gripped western Kentucky and also moved north. Northern Kentucky's multi-agency drug task force has broken up at least eight meth labs in Boone and Grant counties since November and made about 22 arrests, Smith said. Production of the drug has proliferated because the ingredients to make it are so readily available, said Daviess County Sheriff Keith Cain, who has seen dozens of cases of people caught with large amounts of pseudoephedrine or other over-the-counter drugs in his western Kentucky community. ''The fact is, (the cold medicine) is a legal commodity. It has a legitimate use,'' he said. Spread across a table at the press conference were some of the easily attainable items used to make methamphetamines: table salt, coffee filters, a wooden spoon, a length of garden hose and decongestants, among other things. The only ingredient not there was anhydrous ammonia, the volatile chemical that turns decongestants into harmful street drugs. The ammonia, which is found in fertilizer used on farms, explodes easily, which is why meth production is so dangerous. The bill also would increase the penalty for making methamphetamines if the production occurs within 100 feet of a minor, making it a Class A felony. In the majority of the busts in Northern Kentucky, children were nearby, so raising the penalty is a good thing, Smith said. The Kentucky Retail Federation said it supports the bill because the way it is written does not limit anyone's ability to buy cold medicine for legitimate purposes. The bill now goes to a House committee for a hearing. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart