Pubdate: Sun, 30 Jan 2005
Source: Des Moines Register (IA)
Copyright: 2005 The Des Moines Register.
Contact: http://DesMoinesRegister.com/help/letter.html
Website: http://desmoinesregister.com/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/123
Author: Lee Rood, Register Staff Wrtier

IOWANS SUPPORT ANTI-METH STRATEGY

There's solid backing for restricting sales of products containing
pseudoephedrine, a key meth ingredient.

Four of five Iowans say they support efforts to put medicines made
with pseudoephedrine in pharmacies and to require buyers to show
identification to purchase them, a new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll
shows.

The poll, conducted last week, shows high levels of support among Iowa
adults for placing much tighter restrictions on pseudoephedrine - the
widely available over-the-counter drug used to make methamphetamine -
no matter where they live, and regardless of political affiliation,
age, income or education.

Iowa is one of more than two dozen states that have been mulling
different proposals to place tighter restrictions on the popular
decongestant found in dozens of cold and allergy remedies. One
measure, advocated by Gov. Tom Vilsack and a coalition of 150 groups
statewide, would make pseudoephedrine a controlled substance, meaning
buyers would have to show identification to purchase it.

"I think it's a great idea," said Marc Beltrame, 30, of Des Moines.
"The vast majority of Iowans will still have access to the kinds of
medicines they need. It may cause a little inconvenience, but I think
most Iowans want to do it for the greater good."

The poll shows 79 percent of Iowans favor the pharmacy proposal, 18
percent oppose it, and 3 percent are unsure. The poll has a margin of
error of 3.5 percentage points.

With meth labs topping a record 1,450 last year, many Iowa lawmakers
agree that something must be done this year to combat the spread of
homegrown production. They are divided, however, on whether Iowa needs
a law similar to one passed last year in Oklahoma that placed
pseudoephedrine products in pharmacies. That law led to an immediate
and substantial reduction in meth-lab discoveries with little outcry
from the public, numerous Oklahoma officials have said.

However, a variety of retail groups in Iowa are pressuring lawmakers
to enact something less restrictive, saying they would lose sales and
inconvenience customers if the products were pulled from their shelves
and placed in pharmacies.

At the Citgo station on U.S. Highway 30 in Toledo, store clerk Donna
Smith said 48-tablet packages of Action Pseudoephedrine, a pure
pseudoephedrine product that costs $7.99, is the store's No. 1
health-and-beauty seller. Easy to spot in a bright red-and-orange box,
the product is kept in a locked plastic cabinet on the store counter.

"We're not supposed to sell more than two boxes in a 24-hour period,"
said Smith. "Still, we have quite a bit go out."

On a shelf about five feet away, within a few feet of the store's cash
register, sit a mix of other medicines - such as Actifed - that also
contain pseudoephedrine. Sales of those brand-name products - which,
Smith said, are also popular - are not restricted by law or by store
management.

"I would just as soon keep them in here, because we do pretty good
business with this stuff," Smith said. "But obviously we have to deal
with the meth problem."

Throughout the state, confusion and contention abound over what
products would be affected under current legislative proposals and
which ones are used to make the state's most widespread illegal drug.
Smith, for example, said she was unaware meth could be made out of
some products stocked on her store's shelves. She also said she didn't
know whether many products were stolen.

That's one reason why Jon Clingman , a pharmacy owner in Vinton,
favors keeping the products in pharmacies.

"I tend to like Vilsack's proposal," he said. "We have a real meth-lab
problem in this area. Having pharmacies sell them means there will be
a standardized protocol for handling them."

The poll shows support for placing pseudoephedrine in pharmacies
increases from 70 percent among adults 18 to 25 to 84 percent among
those 65 or older.

Support hits 89 percent in the 4th Congressional District, which
includes Des Moines.

Clyde Smith, 50, of Des Moines appeared to sum up many Iowans' views
on the topic, saying he was fed up with the meth-lab problem.

"I think we need to do whatever it takes to finally get a handle on
this and keep these drugs out of the hands of meth-makers," he said.
"If I had a bad cold, I might need to buy something. But I don't mind
going to the pharmacy to get it."

Stephanie Ferris, a cafe owner in Tama, said she wants lawmakers to do
something about meth labs, but she wouldn't like having to go to a
pharmacist to treat a cold or allergy.

"You live out here in the country, and the pharmacies aren't open all
the time," she said. "I don't like that."
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About the Poll

The Iowa Poll, conducted for The Des Moines Register by Selzer & Co.
Inc. of Des Moines, is based on interviews with 800 Iowans age 18 or
older. Interviewers contacted households with randomly selected
telephone numbers. Percentages based on the full sample may have a
maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to The Des Moines
Register is prohibited. The poll, conducted Jan. 21-26, asked the following:

There is a proposal to restrict the sale of cold remedies containing
pseudoephedrine in order to make it harder to acquire by those who
want to make methamphetamine. Do you favor or oppose requiring people
to go to a pharmacy and show identification to buy these cold remedies?
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MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFLorida)