A NECESSARY HASSLE AT THE DRUG COUNTER

It's going to be an even bigger pain to get a sniffle in Vermont
starting Saturday, when a new state and federal law requires
consumers to essentially register their purchase of specific
over-the-counter cold remedies.

This is a necessary inconvenience -- for shoppers and pharmacists
alike -- because an ingredient found in these medications is key in
the manufacturing of methamphetamines, addictive drugs with names
like crystal ice, crank, speed and black beauties.

These drugs can cause brain damage, psychotic behavior, body
convulsions, open sores from picking at skin, and death.
Methamphetamines are "cooked" in makeshift laboratories and involve
highly flammable materials that can ignite, explode and threaten
surrounding areas with fire and toxic fumes. Everyone nearby can be
at risk, even the innocent.

At this point, Vermont is ahead of the threat. It is important to
keep that lead.

Meth labs have long been a problem in the West and Midwest, but are
moving into New England, including New Hampshire, according to
published reports.

The U.S. Drug Administration reported that only one such operation
has been found in Vermont. That's one too many.

It's an inconvenience for pharmacists to keep a drug behind the
counter, much less to register the name and address of the purchaser
and the amount sold, as the new law requires. A few pharmacists have
already begun restricting access to the cold medications, while
others are awaiting the legal deadline to do so.

Given time, however, the market will probably solve this problem on
its own. Some drug companies are adjusting their formulas to remove
the controversial ingredient and adding labels that read "Does not
contain pseudoephedrine." These versions use another ingredient,
phenylephrine, which is not an included in a methamphetamine recipe.

For now, however, Vermonters will have to be patient with the
regulations.

This pro-active approach to cracking down on crank is important for
Vermont because it is easier to prevent a drug problem from moving in
than to solve one after it has arrived.