WAR AGAINST METH CONTINUES

With a growing number of weapons, Illinois is beginning to win the
war on meth, according to Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

Methamphetamine, or meth, is a highly-addictive stimulant that comes
in powder form and can be made rather cheaply by anyone with a recipe
using ingredients that are readily available at local drug, hardware
and farm supply stores.

Illinois, and other Midwestern states where farming is a major
endeavor, became meth hotbeds over the last decade as the drug's
popularity grew.

But Madigan and members of the state legislature have taken steps to
reverse this trend.

Specifically, Senate Bill 273: The Methamphetamine Precursor Control
Act, has gone a long way toward eliminating the drug's use and
manufacture in the state.

The bill requires that all cold and sinus medications containing PSE,
a key ingredient in meth, be displayed behind pharmacy counters.
Further, anyone purchasing such a product is required to show
identification and sign a confidential log.

Without a prescription for a greater amount, no individual may
purchase more than two packages of a PSE containing drug in a 30-day period.

SB 273 went into effect Jan. 15, but prior to that date, Illinois'
reputation was taking a hit.

"We were being called the meth shopping mall of the Midwest," Madigan
said during a recent visit in Edwardsville.

Many times, the attorney general's office would hear from law
enforcement officials in neighboring states that they had raided a
meth lab and found receipts for PSE containing drugs from Illinois retailers.

That's changing, but not as quickly as hoped.

Madigan's office conducted compliance checks over the summer to see
how PSE containing drugs were being sold.

The attorney general said 90 percent of chain retailers are following
the law, but only 12 percent of convenience stores are in compliance.

"Things are good on that front," Madigan said. "There's more work to do."

Some of that work involves the logging of drug sales.

Not all retailers enter purchaser information into a computer and the
paper logs aren't totally effective.

Reliable databases would, however, allow law enforcement officials to
track individuals making repeat purchases of drugs containing PSE.

With that in mind, Madigan and several of her assistants are planning
a trip to Oklahoma where such a system is in use.

If computer generated databases are put to use, Madigan said that
will keep meth manufacturers and users even further away from pharmacies.

"Meth addicts don't want to have contact with people they think might
be looking at them," she said.

Madigan said Illinois has gone from having the weakest laws regarding
meth to now having some of the toughest.

Oregon, however, requires purchasers to have a prescription to buy
any drug containing PSE.