Pubdate: Wed, 21 May 2003
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Copyright: 2003 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.stltoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/418

Author: Matthew Hathaway

STATE'S NEW ANTI-METH MEASURE WOULD TRUMP ARNOLD ORDINANCE

At Least One City Official Wants Holden to Veto Bill

In passing what some are calling the toughest anti-methamphetamine 
legislation of its kind in the nation, Missouri legislators voted to cancel 
an even tougher Arnold ordinance regulating the sale of some meth ingredients.

Arnold officials are disappointed but differ on whether Gov. Bob Holden 
should veto the bill, which would restrict how much medication containing 
ephedrine or pseudoephedrine a store can sell or where retailers must store 
those products. At issue is a provision called a pre-emption clause, which 
would void tougher laws passed by some cities.

Most recipes for methamphetamine start with either ephedrine, which is 
costly, regulated and difficult to obtain, or pseudoephedrine, which is 
found in many over-the-counter cold remedies. To produce even a small 
amount of meth, most drug makers buy or steal hundreds of cold pills 
containing pseudoephedrine.

Current state law forbids retailers from selling more than three boxes or 9 
grams of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine products to a customer. An Arnold law 
goes even further. It forces stores to keep a record of all customers who 
buy more than one box of the medicine and to allow police to inspect the log.

Rather than keep tabs on customers who buy multiple boxes, most large 
retailers in Arnold, including Target, Schnucks and Wal-Mart, now allow 
customers to buy only one box a visit.

But the Arnold ordinance could become history if Holden signs into law new 
meth legislation.

Any ordinances restricting ephedrine or pseudoephedrine sales and adopted 
after Dec. 22 would be voided by the state legislation.

Municipal ordinances in St. Peters and St. Charles requiring the products 
to be kept behind store counters would be unaffected, but a similar St. 
Charles County law passed on Dec. 23, the day the pre-emption clause kicks 
in, would be scrapped.

Mayor Mark Powell supported the Arnold law and said he regretted that it 
could be trumped by state legislation. But he said that the decisions by 
Arnold and other cities might have spurred the Legislature to toughen state 
meth laws.

"If the city of Arnold had not passed such a tough ordinance, the state 
might not have taken any action at all," Powell said.

Powell said the state measure "isn't as tough as I would like, but it's a 
step."

Arnold Councilman David Venable said that he wanted Holden to veto the 
state law.

"I do realize that (the state legislation) might be considered the toughest 
law in the country at this point," Venable said. "However, any law that 
takes away a local government's right to assist in fighting the war on 
drugs is just ill-advised."
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