Pubdate: Thu, 03 Feb 2005
Source: Daily Post-Athenian (Athens, TN)
Copyright: 2005 The Daily Post-Athenian
Contact:  http://dpa.xtn.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1673
Author: R Harris
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

CONTROLLING METH

A manager of a local retail store says she has watched patrons get on
their knees and scrounge under shelves looking for boxes of cold medicine.

She is confident the eager customers are suffering from more than the
sniffles.

A methamphetamine epidemic has created a heightened demand for types
of medicine made with pseudoephedrine-- a key component in
manufacturing the volatile narcotic.

Because of the growing methamphetamine problem, lawmakers are
considering a crackdown on the sale of pseudoephedrine products,
including keeping the drugs behind store counters and off shelves.

The local store manager, who asked not to be identified, has already
stashed all of the pseudoephedrine products out of customers' reach.

"I want all the sales I can get, but I don't want to help people
involved in making drugs," the store manager said. "I wish sometimes
we wouldn't even sell it."

The drugs containing pseudoephedrine range from Sudafed to Benadryl,
and treat a range of systems from the common cold to seasonal
allergies. Methamphetamine cooks use pseudoephedrine -- as well as
other household products including drain cleaner, lye and starter
fluid -- to make the narcotic in clandestine labs.

"This is where your typical bathtub chemist would be," said Jeff
Wolfenden, a pharmacist at Madison Avenue Pharmacy, as he pointed to a
display of pseudoephedrine drugs.

Despite the high popularity of the drugs and the sales they create,
local pharmacists agree with proposed restrictions against
pseudoephedrine products.

Pharmacists say they will not only agree to take pseudoephedrine off
shelves, but also require customers to show identification and sign
for the drugs.

"Having to sign for it is an excellent way to control it," said
Wolfenden, who has already limited the number of pseudoephedrine drug
packets on his pharmacy's shelves.

Becky Wallace, a pharmacist at Riddle & Wallace in downtown Athens,
has also stocked a limited quantity of pseudoephedrine drugs. She
supports legislation to further restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine
products.

"It deters a lot of people when you have to sign for it," Wallace
said. "It's a way to keep a record. You would have so little problem
because the people who are trouble would shy away."

Making customers sign for the drugs is already practiced in Oklahoma,
the nation's strictest state on pseudoephedrine sales.

As a result of the law, methamphetamine cases dropped 70 percent in
the state, according to Mark Woodward, public information officer for
the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

"We've said all along that if you control pseudoephedrine, you can
control meth production," Woodward said. "The stats are backing that
up."

Other measures being taken to limit methamphetamine include lowering
the quantity of pseudoephedrine pills available at stores.

Both Madison Avenue Pharmacy and Riddle & Wallace only order
pseudoephedrine products containing 24 pills. Some larger stores offer
96-count boxes. Officials say it takes a large quantity of
pseudoephedrine to make methamphetamine.

Lt. Bill Farmer of the McMinn County Sheriff's Office said cooperation
from pharmacies and stores is paramount in stopping the growing
methamphetamine epidemic.

"That's your No. 1 component," Farmer said of pseudoephedrine.
"Without that you're not going to have a narcotic."

Methamphetamine production is currently booming in McMinn County,
officials say.

Last year, 100 methamphetamine labs were dismantled here, making
McMinn County the state's second leading area for the narcotic.
Neighboring Bradley County led the state with 112 methamphetamine labs.

Oklahoma experienced a similar rash of methamphetamine labs before
laws were enacted to slow the production, Woodward said.

Other Midwestern states -- including Iowa and Kansas -- have also been
plagued by the narcotic. Despite the growing drug trends in those
states, Woodward said legislation has been slowed by pharmaceutical
companies who are worried about sales.

Others have voiced concern that keeping pseudoephedrine products
behind the counter may hinder those who legitimately need the products
from getting them.

Pfizer -- the company which makes the popular Sudafed medication which
contains pseudoephedrine -- is looking to solve the problem by
launching an alternative decongestant called Sudafed PE, according to
The Associated Press. The alternative -- which contains phenylephrine,
a substance not used in methamphetamine manufacturing -- would be
available in states where pseudoephedrine is restricted, reports state.

Tennessee could soon be on that list.

Lawmakers say they are serious about restricting pseudoephedrine and
stopping methamphetamine production. Most recently, Gov. Phil Bredesen
called for tighter restrictions on pseudoephedrine during his State of
the State address.

"We need to do whatever we can do to stop this epidemic," said state
Rep. Bob McKee, R-Athens. "It's just a scourge on our society."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake