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LOOK AT OKLAHOMA LAW IN FIGHTING METH LABS

I am writing to respond to the March 19 Darts and Laurels which discussed options for fighting methamphetamine labs.  Many North Carolinians are unfamiliar with the horrors of these labs that are beginning to infest our communities.  We busted only nine labs in 1999, but that number escalated to 322 in 2004 and is continuing to rise.

When State Bureau of Investigation agents respond to meth labs, they often find young, innocent children ( 124 of them in 2004 ) who must be removed from these homes because of exposure to toxic fumes which cause both short- and long-term illnesses and potential brain damage.  These labs cause violent crime to increase, property values to go down and threaten communities with fires and explosions.

Pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, found in over-the-counter cold tablets, is the main ingredient for methamphetamine.  For meth manufacturers in North Carolina, the main source of pseudoephedrine is the everyday retail store.  In Oklahoma, when cold tablets containing pseudoephedrine were put in the control of pharmacists, the number of meth lab busts fell a dramatic 80 percent.

Law-abiding North Carolinians would continue to have access to a variety of cold remedies under the proposed law.  In Oklahoma, many consumers with colds switched to pseudoephedrine gel caps or liquid ( which would not be affected by the new law in North Carolina ) or made sure they had pills on hand if a midnight cold strikes.  These gel and liquid cold remedies could remain on grocery and convenience store shelves under the law, while tablet forms would be placed behind a pharmacy counter.

Attorney General Roy Cooper, and I hope North Carolina, will have the foresight to trade a minor inconvenience for a major benefit and adopt the Oklahoma law.  It's clear from the results in Oklahoma that we can help prevent great financial and human toll from meth labs by taking this simple step.

ROBIN PENDERGRAFT

Director, State Bureau of Investigation