MISSOURI BILL CALLS FOR CRACKDOWN ON SALE OF ... BAKING SODA

JEFFERSON CITY -- First, the state said you must make a special trip to
the pharmacy counter to buy certain cold medicines. That was to curb
production of methamphetamine.

Now, a St. Louis legislator wants you to do the same thing to buy an
even more common household item -- baking soda -- because it's used to
make crack cocaine.

Sales of cold medications containing pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed,
are strictly regulated in Missouri. Customers must show a photo ID
when they buy the medicine. Pharmacists must log the names and
addresses of buyers, including how much they buy. People under 18 may
not buy the medicines.

The sponsor of the baking soda bill, Rep. Talibdin El-Amin, D-St.
Louis, said the same approach was needed for baking soda because crack
cocaine is often produced by dissolving powdered cocaine in a mixture
of water and baking soda.

"We have crack cocaine running rampant in our neighborhoods," he said.
"Don't get me wrong, meth needs to be tackled. But anything that calls
attention and brings the crack cocaine problem to the forefront is a
positive step."

Don't expect a change any time soon, though. The bill, filed late last
month, has yet to reach committee consideration and likely won't reach
the House floor for debate this year.

Critics say such a law would be impossible to enforce because baking
soda, which is used as a deodorant, as a cleaning agent and in
antacid, among other things, is so common.

"To put it behind the counter and create a log that a zillion people
would have to use, the law would be completely useless," said David
Overfelt, president of the Missouri Retailers Association.

Baking soda could also be replaced in making crack cocaine with drain
cleaner or ammonia, others say.

"With these drugs, there are so many different chemicals that can be
used -- batteries, coffee filters, anything," said Ron Leone, executive
director of the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store
Association. "It's like MacGyver. Everything's possible."

Drug enforcement experts say the differences between regulating the
sale of pseudoephedrine and the sale of baking soda are sizable.

"When you generate a list of people who use baking soda, it pretty
much includes everyone. It's a common household item," said Tom
Murphy, a special agent with the St. Louis division of the Drug
Enforcement Administration.

But Murphy said cocaine, in all of its forms, should be seen as a real
problem.

"Cocaine is still the primary drug of concern in St. Louis and East
St. Louis, Ill.," he said. "It's second behind meth in the rural
areas. It's still around."

The baking soda bill is HB1189.