Pubdate: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 Source: Tennessean, The (TN) D=56238826 Copyright: 2004 The Tennessean Contact: http://www.tennessean.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/447 Author: Jay Hamburg RESTRICTED SALE OF COLD MEDICINES PROPOSED If you have a cold or a sinus headache in Tennessee, you may no longer be able to simply walk into a store, look over the wide selection of decongestants and make your purchase. You may have to ask a pharmacist to retrieve the drug from behind the counter, then show your identification and have your name placed in a registry that would alert law enforcement to possible patterns of misuse. Because of widespread use of the cold drugs in the illegal manufacture of the highly addictive substance methamphetamine, a state task force recommended yesterday that stricter controls be placed on common decongestants. All medicines that can be used to make the drug also known as ''crank'' or the ''poor man's cocaine'' should be taken off the aisle shelves of stores, said the task force, which was assembled several months ago by Gov. Phil Bredesen. Those medications would be moved behind the counter of licensed pharmacies, under the recommendation of the 20-person task force and 12-person advisory group that included political officeholders, health-care workers and people in the fields of criminal justice and law enforcement. The group also recommended stiffer penalties for meth-related crimes and suggested long-term residential care for those trying to break the hold of the highly addictive substance that can be made relatively cheaply from over-the-counter ingredients. Additionally, the groups want funding for prevention education and help for children exposed to fumes from meth labs. Tennessee accounts for 75% of seized meth labs in the Southeast, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and several in the task force said meth is already an epidemic problem in the Cumberland Plateau and Sequatchie Valley areas of rural Tennessee. It is, they said, creeping toward more urban areas. Bredesen praised the group for its practical suggestions and said he wanted to study them more before proposing possible laws. No price tag was put on any of the proposals. While pulling drugs from shelves might create some hardship on retailers and inconvenience some consumers, task force members said it is necessary to stop the spread of the powerful stimulant. ''I've felt like I was going to die from a sinus headache, but I never have,'' said Dr. Sullivan Smith, whose hometown of Cookeville is among the places hardest hit by meth abuse. ''Methamphetamine is fueling crime. It's disrupting families. It's killing citizens.'' Some pharmacists raised concerns about the difficulties of moving as many as 300 varieties of cold and sinus medications to behind the counter. Doug Wilson, a Rite Aid pharmacist from Rockwood in Roane County, suggested pulling from shelves only the products proven to be the choice of the illegal meth makers rather than yanking all at once. But Wilson acknowledged the need for controls and voted for the recommendations. The president of Tennessee Retail Association said pharmacies only have limited space behind their counters. ''We have some concerns for our customers,'' said Russell Palk, whose group represents the major pharmacies that fill 85% of prescriptions in the state. ''There has to be a delicate balance. We're looking forward to a nice debate.'' The state legislature would have to approve any changes in the law. The proposal to take drugs with the ingredients pseudoephedrine or ephedrine (necessary ingredients in making meth) off the shelves is similar to a law passed in Oklahoma earlier this year. More than 10 states have placed restrictions on sales of decongestants. Other proposals recommended by the task force, led by Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens, include keeping a registry of homes and apartments where people made meth, so that owners or renters would be alerted to possible environmental risks of living there, especially for children. In a related move, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation recently issued standards for the cleanup and safe habitation of places once used as meth labs. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh