Pubdate: Tue, 26 Apr 2005
Source: Asheville Citizen-Times (NC)
Copyright: 2005 Asheville Citizen-Times
Contact:  http://www.citizen-times.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/863
Author: Kerra L. Bolton
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

COLD REMEDY SALE MAY HOLD KEY TO METH WOES

RALEIGH - In Lonnie Wright's estimation, even a death penalty for
making methamphetamine might not have slowed Oklahoma's meth crisis,
once one of the nation's worst.

The answer, the state's Narcotics Bureau director told North Carolina
lawmakers recently, came in requiring that cold remedies containing
pseudoephedrine be sold only from behind a pharmacist's counter.

"I'm thoroughly convinced that stiffer penalties will not curb this
addiction," Wright said. "We came to the conclusion that as long as
pseudoephedrine was readily available, there was no end in sight."

Oklahoma has cut meth lab busts dramatically since adopting the
restrictions, something North Carolina is considering now.

Arrests and busts of highly toxic meth-making labs have soared in
recent years. Law enforcement officers in North Carolina swooped in on
243 labs last year, up from nine in 1999.

Authorities have found most of the labs in Western North Carolina,
where rural areas help hide the pungent, ammonia smell that comes from
making meth.

In addition to problems from addiction, the labs put emergency workers
at risk and cost thousands of dollars to clean up.

A state Senate panel last week approved legislation limiting sales of
cold remedy tablets that contain pseudoephedrine. The ingredient in
tablets, found in medicines such Sudafed, Pediacare and Claritin, is
essential to making meth. Restrictions would not apply to gel and
liquid forms of the medicines.

Adults would have to go to a pharmacist, show photo identification and
sign for purchases. Pharmacies would keep sales records containing
names and addresses, and purchases of more than 9 grams a month would
require a prescription.

"If we have to resort to measures that make Sudafed available behind
the pharmacy counter, then it's a good thing," said Michael Overman,
owner of Lord's Drug Store in Asheville. "It's (pseudoephedrine) not
an innocuous drug."

Similar legislation pending in Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas will soon
become law.

The North Carolina legislation also would stiffen penalties for people
who make meth in apartments, hotels, and motels, where there is a high
risk of exposure to many people at once. Mushrooming meth problem

An example of WNC's meth lab problems surfaced again Monday in
Hendersonville when three people from Knoxville, Tenn., were arrested
after buying pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart. Hendersonville Police said
they were starting the manufacturing process in their vehicle.

A city police officer working off-duty at the Wal-Mart Supercenter
watched as two of the suspects bought pseudoephedrine inside the store
at 2:08 a.m., police said.

One attempted to buy more than three packages, which violates state
law, according to police. The officer followed the suspects, two men
and a woman, in their Mazda pickup to a nearby Triangle Stop
convenience store, police said.

The officer smelled a strong chemical odor inside the vehicle. Police
said he also spotted a clear water bottle that contained liquid on top
and an off-white powdery residue in the bottom, which he recognized as
a "pill wash," part of the manufacturing process.

The scene was common in Oklahoma before passage of the new
restrictions.

In Oklahoma City, police in 2003 handled 175 meth lab seizures, an
average of 14.5 a month. Since the new law, police there have averaged
fewer than five lab busts a month.

Tulsa police in 2003 averaged 18 lab busts a month, a number now down
to eight. Balancing access and safety

Critics of North Carolina's bill argue there needs to be a balance
between making a legal product available for consumers and not making
it too hard for them to get.

At least 14 counties, mostly in eastern North Carolina, have fewer
than three retail pharmacies. Camden and Hyde have none.

In WNC, Graham, Madison, Polk, Swain and Yadkin counties have fewer
than five retail pharmacies, according to statistics from the N.C.
Retail Merchants Association and the N.C. Board of Pharmacy.

Very few counties, even large ones, have more than one 24-hour
pharmacy, said Fran Preston, president of the N.C. Retail Merchants
Association, an industry lobbying group.

"We think it should also be available behind the counter in grocery
stores, convenience stores and drug stores," Preston said. "Anyone
will tell you that people who are high on meth or cooking meth are
extremely paranoid. It would be a significant deterrent for them to
ask behind any counter to get the ingredients."

Ruth Higgins, owner and pharmacist at Medicap Pharmacy in Asheville,
said she supports the legislation's intent, but expressed doubts about
its effectiveness.

"These laws may help the first-time user or inexperienced users,"
Higgins said. "But these people are smart and quite crafty. They'll
find a way around an honest pharmacist.

Drug, grocery or convenience stores could restrict sales by putting
fewer boxes on the shelves. Stolen over-the-counter drugs often are
sold at flea markets, Higgins said.

"People with sinus problems or colds and (who) have been helped by
this drug for years shouldn't be penalized by increased price or
accessibility," she said. "You have to look at the whole picture."

Other WNC residents, however, say that the costs to the legislation
are worth the benefits.

"It's the job of the government to look out for the average citizen,"
said Chris Lee, 37, of Fletcher. "It's a bit of an inconvenience. But
it's part of the price you pay for safety."

John Boyle contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin