Pubdate: Thu, 31 Mar 2005
Source: Decatur Daily (AL)
Copyright: 2005 The Decatur Daily
Contact:  http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/index.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/696
Author: Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

NEW TENNESSEE METH LAW RESTRICTS SOME COLD TABLET SALES

NASHVILLE  - Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen signed a law Wednesday
aimed at fighting the state's soaring meth problem, and it starts by
giving small stores 24 hours to stop selling cold tablets used to make
the drug.

"I hope this collective action sends a clear signal to the people of
Tennessee that we are serious about tackling this problem," Bredesen
said as he signed the measure that raced through the Legislature a
little more than a month after he proposed it.

The biggest change will be restrictions placed on some cold medicines
that contain pseudoephedrine. They have to be sold, in limited
amounts, from behind a pharmacy counter with a record of each purchase.

Small stores that don't have pharmacies won't be allowed to sell the
medicines that contain pseudoephedrine, a major component in making
meth, at all.

Tennessee has become a hotbed for meth production, with 1,200
clandestine meth labs broken up by federal agents in the state between
October 2003 and August 2004.

Pharmacies have 30 days to move the restricted cold medicines behind
the counter, excluding liquid or gel cap medicines.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin