Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 Source: Savannah Morning News (GA) Copyright: 2005 Savannah Morning News Contact: http://www.savannahnow.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/401 Author: Anne Hart Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) LEGISLATION CRACKS DOWN ON METH BY LOCKING UP SUDAFED Lawmakers Think Tightening Access To The Drug Could Curb Meth Production In The State How much inconvenience are you willing endure to buy a package of Sudafed? Will you show identification and sign a log at a pharmacy just to take home the common cold medication? This year's Georgia General Assembly is considering statewide tight restrictions on access to cold and sinus remedies that contain pseudoephedrine, an ingredient used to make methamphetamine, an illegal, homemade stimulant. The goal is to curb meth makers from buying cold medication. Signs in drugstores already remind shoppers the federal government limits how much pseudoephedrine they can buy at a time. But the proposed restrictions, which vary according to the different bills, further limit how the medications are sold. The most strict versions call for removing over-the-counter cold pills from store shelves in Georgia and requiring them to be dispensed only by a pharmacist. Two bills, Senate Bill 24 and House Bill 19, also call for buyers of such common cold medicines as Sudafed, NyQuil, Claritin-D and Tylenol Flu, to show photo ID and sign a log maintained by a pharmacy. Less severe proposals would require the cold medication to be kept behind the counter or in a locked cabinet. The restrictions are examples of an emerging class of pharmaceuticals, "the behind-the-counter drug," said Emily Evans, assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice at South University School of Pharmacy in Savannah. This level drug is made available, without a prescription, via a health care professional to regulate conditions such as amount or age restrictions, Evans said. The Food and Drug Administration is considering putting the morning-after birth control in that same class. Makers of the emergency contraception known as Plan B want it to be available without a prescription to women age 16 and older. The company proposes drugstores check customers' ages. The goal is to help those who need it over a weekend when it's difficult to obtain a prescription. Plan B can prevent pregnancy for up to 72 hours after sex. It's more effective the sooner it's taken. Implementing tough restrictions on certain cold medicines may be a knee-jerk reaction, Evans said, but "it certainly will at least reduce the problem." Especially since meth ingredients, which include common household drain cleaner and starter fluid, are as close as the nearest Wal-Mart. After adopting similar restrictions last year, Oklahoma has reported an 80 percent drop in meth labs, said Micah Ward, Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent in charge in Savannah. Oklahoma classified pseudoephedrine as a Schedule 5 narcotic, similar to cough syrup with codeine, to be dispensed only by a pharmacist. Restrictions may have a similar benefit in southeast Georgia, where meth - also known as crystal, crank and speed - is taking hold, especially in rural areas. "We've seen it move from the West coast to the Midwest, dropped into north Georgia, and increase in middle Georgia," Ward said. "That trend is just going to continue into southeast Georgia." In a 12-day period this winter, agents found three meth labs in three southeast Georgia counties, Chatham, Candler and Toombs, Ward said. Each personal-use meth lab involves at least 100 cold pills per batch of meth. "The amount is what differentiates the legitimate from the illegitimate," Ward said. "There is no reason to buy 500 cold pills at a time." John Leffler, pharmacist at The Prescription Shop in Savannah, supports the proposed restrictions and doesn't expect them to have much impact on legitimate use of cold medicines. That pharmacy already keeps large packages of medicine with pseudoephedrine in a cabinet behind the counter. "There are going to be a few people who see this as an infringement of trade and of rights to access," Leffler said. Although the majority of pharmacists don't want to hinder people, they also don't want to sell this product in large amounts for illegitimate purposes, he said. Opposition is more likely to come from owners of the 5,500 convenience stores in Georgia that stand to suffer financially if only pharmacists can sell cold pills. Cold medications generate roughly $6,000 a year in sales per convenience store, said Jeff Leonard, spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores in Alexandria, Va. Hiring a pharmacist for just those products is not a good economic trade-off, he said. The Georgia Association of Convenience Stores in Snellville recognizes the serious meth problem and wants to be part of the solution, said president Jim Tudor. He expects some restrictions to be put in place, but said it's too early in the legislative process to determine how those will affect convenience stores. "The idea of trying to put restrictions on availability of these products is something we will work with the state on," Tudor said. "But you never want to be in the convenience business and for there to be products you can't sell." Locking UP Meds Several bills before the Georgia General Assembly would restrict the sales of cold medicine to crack down on makers of methamphetamine. Some proposals call for: l Products with pseudoephedrine to be kept behind the counter, in a locked cabinet, or in another secure location. l Products with pseudoephedrine to be dispensed only by a licensed pharmacist or a pharmacy technician working under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. l Purchasers of such products to produce photo identification and sign a written log showing their signature, printed name, date of transaction and type and amount of product purchased. That data would be maintained by the person dispensing the product for a year. Meth Facts Methamphetamine: a stimulant that's a potent member of the phetamine family. Street names: speed, chalk, ice, crystal, glass and crank. The look: Meth comes as pills, powder, or as clear chunky crystals. The crystals are another form of methamphetamine that contains a substance called hydrochloride. Production: Meth is mostly made in illegal laboratories using toxic chemicals. Health effects: Mental confusion, severe anxiety, paranoia, aggression that can result in violent behavior. There's a direct relationship between meth use and domestic violence and child abuse. Meth use: It can be swallowed, snorted, huffed, injected or smoked. Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration - --- MAP posted-by: Beth