PHARMACISTS PREPARE TO MOVE DRUG BEHIND COUNTER

New regulations aimed at curbing production of methamphetamine For
allergy and cold sufferers this spring, finding relief in a popular
nasal decongestant might not be as easy as heading down an aisle at
the local pharmacy, as the television ad for Sudafed suggests.

With new federal guidelines that took effect last week and a bill
restricting the sales of pseudoephedrine, the active ingredient in
Sudafed, on its way through the state legislature, local pharmacies
are stocking this over-the-counter drug behind their counters. They
also are limiting the amount one person can purchase -- if they
hadn't already. The regulations are all in an effort to reduce and
deter the production of methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant
drug concocted with relatively inexpensive household items that has
plagued communities in the Midwest and worked its way into the
Upstate of South Carolina.

The new federal law that took effect April 8 requires all sellers of
pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products to limit the daily sale of
those products to one person to 3.6 grams, or 120 tablets, and 9
grams monthly. All nonliquid forms must be sold in blister packs.

Nationally, pseudoephedrine sellers must place the products behind
the counter or in a locked case and maintain a written logbook of the
product sold and to whom starting Sept. 30. Customers must present
photo identification to buy the drug.

Some local pharmacies have sold the products from behind the counter
for months as part of an educational effort by the South Carolina
Pharmacy Association.

"We support the goal -- to impede the use of the product for illegal
purposes," said Jim Bracewell, the association's executive vice
president. Logbooks will add more paperwork, he said, but his
association is working with lawmakers to minimize extra work.

To limit the amount each person purchases, corporate pharmacies have
programmed their cash registers not to allow sale of more than 3.6
grams or two pseudoephedrine products per transaction, Walgreens and
Bi-Lo spokespeople said. However, without the logbooks in place in
South Carolina, it'll be difficult to ensure that no one buys more
than 9 grams each month, they said.

State Involvement

A state bill requiring pseudoephedrine products to be sold behind
counters and logbooks to be kept is poised to make its way to the
governor's desk. The limits placed on purchases are unclear, but if
passed, the state law will supersede federal law if it's stricter,
Bracewell said. A state law will allow local law enforcement to keep
tabs on the pharmacies and their logbooks, instead of understaffed
federal agencies trying to enforce the laws alone, said Jeff Moore,
executive director of the S.C. Sheriffs' Association. He said similar
laws, such as one in Georgia, have reduced discoveries of
methamphetamine manufacturing labs. By being behind counters,
pseudoephedrine products are "not going to be available for theft,
which will cut out a lot of the manufacturing," he said. "If you're
willing to buy it, you have to sign that log. We're hoping to have
that to act as a deterrent."

Pseudoephedrine is a necessary ingredient in the two fastest and
cheapest methods to produce methamphetamine, said Sgt. Renita Berry,
chemist at Beaufort County's drug-analysis lab. She said she's seen
very few cases of methamphetamine in Beaufort County.

The new laws won't necessarily prevent "pharmacy hopping," Berry
said, but she hopes a computerized database will be kept to help keep
track of pseudoephedrine buyers.

The state bill doesn't require databases, but Moore said he thinks
larger chain pharmacies might keep their own. Government officials
are considering eliminating the sale of pseudoephedrine products from
small, independent pharmacies and stores altogether, he said.

Mike Davis, owner of Ridgeland Main Street Pharmacy, said he doesn't
keep his pseudoephedrine products behind the counter and knows his
clientele well enough to trust they aren't buying to fuel
methamphetamine labs. He does refuse to order the large boxes of the drug.

If it comes down to keeping logbooks, Davis said he probably wouldn't
sell the products anymore because he's phasing out Sudafed's
pseudoephedrine products with its substitute product that contains
the active ingredient phenylephrine.

According to Sudafed's Web site, phenylephrine can't be used to make
methamphetamine and provides the same "maximum-strength non-drowsy
relief." Davis said so far he hasn't heard complaints from customers
about its effectiveness. He even uses it for his own sinus trouble.
"I don't see much difference in the two," he said.