STATE LAW HELPS LIMIT METH MANUFACTURING

Law enforcement officials and pharmacists think a year-old state law
that limits the amount of pseudoephedrine a person can buy has slowed
manufacturing of methamphetamine in Marathon County.

Pseudoephedrine is a common ingredient available in over-the-counter
remedies such as Sudafed or Advil Cold & Sinus. To purchase products
that contain it, however, a person must sign a log that tracks those
sales. The state allows an individual to purchase up to 7.5 grams of
the drug within a 30-day period.

Pseudoephedrine also is a common ingredient in the production of
methamphetamine, an addictive stimulant that's harmful to the central
nervous system. The restrictions make it difficult for people to
manufacture the illegal drug locally.

"We don't get the intel or see the labs like we used to," said Lt.
Gary Schneck, who heads the Marathon County Sheriff's Department's
drug investigation unit.

Drug investigators review the drug logs and rely on tips from the
public, pharmacists and other officers to track large purchases of
pseudoephedrine, Schneck said.

A Schofield man was charged with a felony last month after Everest
Metro Police saw his name repeatedly on drug logs at pharmacies in
Weston, Rothschild and Wausau. The man purchased 23.5 grams between
Nov. 23 and Jan. 3, sometimes stopping at three different pharmacies a
day, according to a criminal complaint. A second Schofield man was
charged Friday for purchasing 11.4 grams from Nov. 18 to Dec. 28 in
Weston and Rothschild.

Mike Scheidecker, head pharmacist at Trig's Pharmacy in Wausau, said
he has refused sales to customers in the past because of excessive
purchases, but it is rare.

"The law has worked somewhat, but there are other sources, like the
Internet," Scheidecker said. Thefts of the cold medications are down
after the law forced pharmacies to put them behind the counter, he
said.

In addition, Sudafed has begun selling products that no longer contain
pseudoephedrine, he said.

Though the number of arrests and cases involving homemade meth was
down in 2007, crystal meth -- a purer form of the drug -- still is
commonly found and used in Marathon County, Schneck said. He thinks
most of it is being transported through Chicago and the Twin Cities
from Mexico.