Pubdate: Sun, 24 Jul 2005
Source: Norman Transcript (OK)
Copyright: 2005 The Norman Transcript
Contact:  http://www.normantranscript.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/552
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

FEDS SHOULDN'T WATER DOWN STATE METH LAWS

Oklahoma's anti-meth legislation has served as a model for many states 
considering a crackdown on their drug cooks. It limits purchase of cold 
medicine containing pseudoephedrine and requires buyers to show 
identification and sign for the pills, just like certain narcotics that are 
behind the counter.

It has been credited for reducing the number of illegal methamphetamine 
laboratories operating in rural and urban areas. Now, the federal 
legislation being considered could pre-empt the successful state laws, 
according to the Tulsa World's Washington Bureau.

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, thinks the federal law should take a back 
seat to states like Oklahoma which have shown progress in the meth wars. He 
has raised objections to the proposed law and will work with the bill's 
authors to make certain the federal standard does not weaken the effort. 
The bill's authors, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, and Sen. Jim 
Talent, R-Mo., think the pre-emption component is needed so that meth cooks 
don't simply move across the border to a state with a weaker law. Sen. John 
Cornyn, R-Texas, has suggested an approach that we think is workable. Put 
some kind of federal law in place but don't pre-empt the states like 
Oklahoma that have stepped forward and taken on the problem head-on.
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MAP posted-by: Beth