Pubdate: Fri, 11 Mar 2005
Source: Pilot, The (NC)
Copyright: 2005 The Pilot LLC
Contact:  http://www.thepilot.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1701
Author: Scott Mooneyham
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

HIDING COLD PILLS MAY NOT BE BEST SOLUTION

Raleigh Attorney General Roy Cooper wants North Carolina lawmakers to
make it a lot tougher to buy many of the common cold medicines sold
down at the corner drugstore.

The reason? A key ingredient in medications like Sudafed and Actifed
is also a key ingredient used by the criminals who cook up
methamphetamine in illegal drug labs.

Cooper wants North Carolina to adopt restrictions for the sale of
ephedrine- and pseudoephedrine-based medications similar to those put
in place by Oklahoma last year. Since that state's restrictions went
into effect 11 months ago, meth lab busts have dropped by 80 percent.

In Oklahoma, the medications are classified as a controlled substance.
They are sold behind the counter, only at registered pharmacies,
meaning consumers can no longer buy the medicines at grocery and
convenience stores. To purchase the drugs, you must provide
identification and sign a registry, which can be viewed by law
enforcement.

For months, Cooper has made the case that the growing number of
methamphetamine labs in North Carolina represents a threat to public
safety. In 1999, law enforcement discovered nine such labs. Last year,
state and local police shut down 322 of them.

Officials worry not only about the spread and consequences of the
drug's use. The production itself, which creates toxic fumes and
residues, can sicken law enforcement officers, firefighters, children
of the drug dealers and anyone else who happens to come into contact
with a lab.

Still, lawmakers should consider whether this is a road we really want
to go down.

To his credit, Cooper has already tried to get out ahead of this
latest drug scourge by pushing tougher criminal penalties through the
legislature. He also advocated a new law which results in criminal
penalties when meth-makers endanger children.

But these laws have been on the books less than four months. It's
difficult to know at this point what kind of dent they are making in
the problem.

And while Oklahoma has seen a drop in meth production, it's far from
certain how effective the sales restrictions will be over time.

Criminals are ingenious. They may find other means to produce their
poison.

Even if successful, shutting down the labs will end one problem; it
won't stop another - the use of the drug. Although states across the
nation have seen a surge in the number of illegal drug labs, federal
law-enforcement officials estimate that 80 percent of methamphetamine
sold in the U.S. comes from California and Mexico.

Cooper and lawmakers should consider what kind of economic losses,
through lost worker productivity, might be associated with making cold
remedies harder to get. They should consider the economic consequences
for retailers who will be forced to devote workers to complete the
sales transactions.

More important, they should always loathe restricting the lawful
activities of the many to curb the illegal activities of the few.
Benjamin Franklin said it best: "The man who trades freedom for
security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either."
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MAP posted-by: Derek