Pubdate: Wed, 06 Jul 2005
Source: Charleston Gazette (WV)
Copyright: 2005 Charleston Gazette
Contact:  http://www.wvgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/77
Author: Associated Press
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH CONTROL LAW TO TAKE EFFECT FRIDAY

Purchase Of Some Cold Remedies To Require Picture ID, Signature

Want to buy some cold medicine? Step right up and sign the logbook.

Starting Friday, the purchase of some over-the-counter cold and
allergy remedies will require a picture ID, a signature and reporting
to the state Pharmacy Board, all in an effort to control the spread of
illegal methamphetamine labs in West Virginia.

West Virginia is the latest state to seek to control pseudoephedrine
- -- found in some over-the-counter cold and allergy remedies. The
chemical can be extracted and used to make meth.

The yield of meth is about equal to the amount of pseudoephedrine used
in the manufacturing process, according to law enforcement officials.

West Virginia's law only applies to nonliquid medicines that use
pseudoephedrine as their single active ingredient. But that could
amount to 18 products that pharmacies will have to move from store
shelves, said Richard Stevens, executive director of the West Virginia
Pharmacists Association.

That could lead some pharmacists to reduce the selection of certain
cold remedies.

"Because of limited space, some pharmacists are going to limit their
inventories," Stevens said.

It will be legal for customers to purchase only up to three packages
- -- or up to 9 grams -- of the medicines each month without a
prescription. And because of the space considerations and reporting
requirements, costs could be nudged up for consumers.

Several national supermarket and pharmacy chains like Safeway, Kroger,
CVS, Target and Wal-Mart have announced new policies on moving
over-the-counter products containing pseudoephedrine to secure
locations in their stores.

"Those large chain operations made a business decision," Stevens said.
"If Target or Wal-Mart doesn't want to be aggravated with half a dozen
state laws, they'll just as soon put the stuff behind the counter to
keep their costs down."

Meth, which can come in the form of a crystalline powder or rocklike
chunks, is an addictive stimulant that can be smoked, snorted,
injected or taken orally. Its street names include "ice," "crystal"
and "speed."

A national version of the anti-meth bill working its way through the
U.S. Congress was amended in the Senate last week to carve out an
exception for stores without a pharmacist on duty, such as convenience
stores and some grocery chains.

Pressed by retailers concerned about losing sales, lawmakers changed
the proposal to give states the option of working with the Drug
Enforcement Administration to license certain employees who are not
pharmacists to sell the medicines.

State Police Lt. Mike Goff said he does not expect an immediate change
in the amount of meth produced in West Virginia.

"I hope we see some decrease," he said. "But it's kind of down right
now anyway. Things have been kind of slow -- not like they were
earlier this year."

Goff said no plans have been made for an immediate crackdown on cold
and allergy medicines still being sold at convenience stores and
supermarkets.

"I'm thinking we're probably going to give a lot of warnings and
educate store owners about the new law," he said. "I'm not sure how
many of them are aware of the new rules."

The new law also levels a felony charge against meth makers when their
makeshift toxic drug labs injure first responders such as
firefighters.

Phil Morrison, executive director of West Virginia Prosecuting
Attorneys Institute, said the new law opens several new enforcement
opportunities.

"There are a ton of different things in there that are going to arm
prosecutors a lot better than they have in the past," he said. "There
are all kind of steps that this bill puts into effect that weren't
there before."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin