Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jan 2005
Source: Sun Herald (MS)
Copyright: 2005, The Sun Herald
Contact:  http://www.sunherald.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/432
Author:  Elana Schor

SENATE TARGETS OTC

Attack On Meth

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan coalition of senators unveiled the Combat
Meth Act Wednesday to fight the rapid rise in methamphetamine sales and
production challenging local law enforcement in South Mississippi and
beyond.

The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Trent Lott, requires pharmacies to
stock all medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a key meth ingredient,
behind their counters.

Meth producers often purchase large amounts of pseudoephedrine-based
pills like Sudafed and Claritin to manufacture their highly addictive
drug without arousing suspicion.

"This is a terrible, terrible drug," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
D-Calif., a chief author of the bill. Feinstein said the lack of
federal standards is a major roadblock for communities dealing with
meth epidemics and added, "We can't go on this way."

Mississippi's Coast has recently become a haven for meth traffickers
who take advantage of its ports and rural areas, both prime
territories for meth labs. According to the Drug Enforcement
Administration, Mississippi meth lab seizures jumped 68 percent
between 2001 and 2002, the latest years studied.

South Mississippi drug enforcement officials like Ralph Holiman said
those numbers hardly scratch the surface of the problem.

"A meth lab's not like a bank robbery; you know how many bank
robberies happen in one place," said Holiman, agent in charge of the
DEA's Gulfport office. "A lot of times it can look like a county
doesn't have a meth lab problem but they're just not finding it, and
this federal money can help."

Addiction to meth, most popular in its crystallized form, can cause
dangerously erratic behavior and lead to permanent mental and physical
damage.

The bill would provide $30 million to educate local law enforcement,
prosecutors, pharmacists and child support agencies to crack down on
meth abuse at every stage. Both the federal proposal and pending
Mississippi meth bills are modeled on a vigorous Oklahoma law that
caused a significant drop in meth use. 
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