SEIZURES OF METH LABS DECLINE

Laws Limited Sale Of Drug Ingredient

Seizures of methamphetamine labs have dropped significantly in
Kentucky and Indiana in the year after both states restricted the
sale of products used to make the highly addictive drug.

In Kentucky, meth-lab seizures fell nearly 57 percent, according to
the state's Office of Drug Control Policy.

"When we worked on the legislation, we talked about and we prayed and
hoped for 50 percent, and we far exceeded that," said Van Ingram,
branch manager of the agency's compliance section.

The decrease in Indiana was less dramatic: 24 percent, according to
the state Criminal Justice Institute.

But Jason Barclay, chairman of the institute's board, said that
partly could be because the state didn't do a good job tracking lab
seizures in the past, and those numbers probably were higher than reported.

"Now we have a system in place where we track every lab and every
arrest," Barclay said. The numbers are "headed in the right direction."

Officials say the new laws -- similar to those in more than 30 other
states -- had an immediate impact by making it harder for meth
manufacturers to obtain cold and allergy medicines containing
pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in the drug's production.

The laws also require those buying the products to sign logs and
produce identification, enabling police to track down people who are
going from store to store or returning day after day to try to beat
the limits on purchases.

Customers sometimes are frustrated by the restrictions and the
identification requirements for purchases, said pharmacist Ron West,
who owns Hancock's Drug Store in Scottsburg, Ind.

Because he now keeps all pseudoephedrine products behind his counter,
the store carries fewer varieties and sales have dropped, he said.

"People don't want to have to ask for them," he said. "Especially
during the flu and cold season, people don't want to go through the
hassle or don't want to bother us."

But Mary Campbell, who lives in southern Louisville, said she doesn't
mind the extra steps it takes to buy Sudafed and other
over-the-counter medicines for her sinus problems.

"It's worth it to me to get all that stuff out of the way and off the
streets," she said.

In the 12 months after Kentucky's law took effect on June 20, 2005,
officials said enforcement efforts were stepped up. But police found
only 295 labs, compared with 679 in the same period a year earlier.

Indiana's law took effect July 1, 2005, and in the fiscal year that
followed, police discovered 846 labs, compared with 1,109 the year before.

Among other things, the logs that retailers must keep have proved to
be valuable resources.

In Daviess County, for example, the sheriff's office collects
information from the logs and feeds it into a computer database. Two
narcotics detectives then comb the database for people buying large
quantities of the products.

Sheriff Keith Cain said prosecutors have indicted 14 individuals who
were discovered because of information found in the logs. Some of
those investigations led to the discovery of working meth labs, but
other individuals were stopped before they could begin making the drug.

"That speaks well to the intent of the statute," Cain said. "It's
meant to provide a proactive response."

In Indiana, the information in the logs has proved to be so helpful,
the Criminal Justice Institute is hiring a contractor to develop an
electronic system so data from every retailer in the state is
combined to help track repeat purchasers. Kentucky is considering a
similar system.

Law-enforcement officials said the logs and restrictions on purchases
aren't the only possible reasons for the reduction in meth-lab
seizures. Increased enforcement, the education of retailers and
increased public awareness also have helped.

"This is a long-term problem and there's no simplistic solution," Cain said.

Indiana State Trooper Katrina Greenwell, who works out of the
Sellersburg post, is part of the state's meth suppression unit, a
team of 25 state police officers. She said retailers have been
essential in helping her team root out criminals.

"They see someone who looks suspicious and they call around to other
stores and see if they've been there, too," Greenwell said. "They're
doing a lot of the work."

In February, a teenage clerk at a Harrison County, Ind., store called
in a tip that a couple of men were repeatedly buying large quantities
of matches, which contain red phosphorus, a meth ingredient.
Greenwell investigated, discovered a meth lab and made two arrests.

The grocery was one of more than 6,000 stores that had received a
"Meth Watch" kit from the state to help retailers recognize
suspicious purchases.

"This encourages retailers to call local law enforcement when they
see something suspicious," said Cecelia Wiley, who manages the
state's Meth Watch program and monitors tips to a meth hotline. "It's
opened communication. Law enforcement and retailers are working together."