Pubdate: Sun, 13 Feb 2005 Source: Springfield News-Leader (MO) Copyright: 2005 The Springfield News-Leader Contact: http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1129 Author: Carl Smith Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) DROP THE STARCH TABLETS; GO WITH GEL The politicians and law enforcement say they have the answer to the methamphetamine problem. Why should we believe them? They've been telling us for 35 years that hiring more police and building more prisons would give us a drug-free America. So far they haven't managed to give us drug-free prisons. We're now supposed to believe that putting Sudafed behind the counter will stop these desperate, toothless meth users when the threat of imprisonment or their children dying wouldn't? This legislation will make pseudoephedrine a valuable black market commodity which will markedly increase the associated violence and corruption. The desperate will now acquire it through robbery and murder. Where was the outcry when the pharmaceutical companies boosted pseudoephedrine production, allowing meth makers to flood our streets with poison? The gel cap version can't be used to make meth, but we insist on keeping the starch-based tablets available. An investment of a small portion of their profits into exclusively producing the gel cap would have saved countless lives and taxpayer dollars. Any form of pseudoephedrine that can be used to manufacture methamphetamine should be banned. Why are corporate profits, political gains and cheap relief for a stuffy nose more important than the lives of our children? Carl Smith, Ozark - --- MAP posted-by: Josh