Pubdate: Sun, 24 Apr 2005
Source: Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC)
Copyright: 2005 Evening Post Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.charleston.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/567
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

BOLSTER DEFENSES AGAINST 'METH'

Few, if any, addictive drugs more vividly demonstrate the appalling
depths of substance abuse than methamphetamine. The disturbing
rise of "meth" in this state has prompted a response by South Carolina
Attorney General Henry McMaster, and should prompt needed legislation.

Mr. McMaster last month announced Operation "Meth Watch," an
initiative that encourages retailers that sell products containing
pseudoephedrine to take prudent steps against those who buy them to
make meth. The attorney general tells us that part of the insidious
menace posed by this drug is the ease with which it can be produced,
explaining: "With cocaine, you've got to have distribution and
importation networks. But anybody can make this right here for a few
dollars."

Among the products that contain pseudoephedrine are cold medications,
including Sudafed. Other ingredients that assist meth production
include paint thinner, Drano and sulfur-headed matches -- a grim
reminder of how low the drug's users go for this "high." Under "Meth
Watch," following a model established in Kansas, participating drug,
hardware, grocery and other stores place meth-associated products in
easily monitored areas and limit the volume that can be purchased.
Posters and signs give fair warning of the heightened alert against
those who buy such materials for meth production.

And in the proposed legislation from Rep. Joan Brady, R-Richland, that
Mr. McMaster supports, the state would mandate that medicines
containing pseudoephedrine be sold only over the counter, and only
three packages at a time, with customers required to fill out a
purchase log and provide photo identification. Those records would be
sent to the State Law Enforcement Division. The bill also outlaws
possession of multiple meth ingredients and making the drug in the
presence of children.

The new bill, if it becomes law, would represent a minor inconvenience
to those who want to buy and legally use these medicines. But in light
of the harm meth causes, and the spread of its use in this state,
mostly among young people, it's a necessary inconvenience.

As Mr. McMaster explained, meth use rots teeth, causes skin ulcers,
inflicts memory loss and steeply raises the risks of stroke and heart
attack. Its production is also dangerous, with poisonous fumes yielded
from a highly volatile process that has a high risk of explosion. When
police bust a cocaine, heroin or marijuana operation, they don't need
help from the Department of Health and Environmental Control's
hazardous-material specialists. When police bust a meth operation,
they do.

Mr. McMaster is bolstering South Carolina's defenses against meth. The
General Assembly can advance that mission by passing a strong
anti-meth bill.
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MAP posted-by: Derek