From The Editor

WHERE'D MY ALLERGY MEDICINE GO?

Where'd my allergy medicine go? That's the question I keep asking myself
every time I go to reach for my cold and allergy medicine and find it
hidden behind a pharmacist's counter, instead of on the shelf.

I know the answer, of course. In an effort to stop the medications from
being converted into methamphetamine, states are making it harder for you
to put your hands on it. But that doesn't stop me from feeling more than a
little peeved. And I have reservations about the effectiveness of banning
over-the-counter sales of these cold and allergy meds that contain
pseudoephedrine, the key to cooking meth.

Oregon has already passed a new law to require prescriptions for cold and
medications that can be converted into meth. Oklahoma became the first
state to ban the over-the-counter sales. At least a dozen other states have
followed suit. At the federal level, lawmakers in Washington are also
considering restrictions on the sale of medications containing
pseudoephedrine, which is found in medicines such as Sudafed and Nyquil.

But what's happening in Oklahoma, according to a recent Associated Press
report, is that while local meth production has declined, the illegal
trafficking of smokeable Mexican meth known as "crystal ice" jumped. Other
states are bracing for increases in the illegal drug trafficking, but drug
agents say they can fight ice with techniques they already use against
organized drug trafficking, the AP report said.

Finally, the report says the increase in crystal ice in Oklahoma may be an
anomaly, that it's still to early to tell what impact the state laws will have.

No matter what happens, I can't help but feel like I'm being the one
punished when I go to buy my medicine. Can't there be a better way to
separate me from the criminals?