ANOTHER WAY TO FIGHT METH

Stopping the supply of illegal methamphetamine in Alabama will
require the combined efforts of state law enforcement, retailers,
pharmacists and the federal government.

The distribution of meth has become one of Alabama's most serious
drug problems. Use of the illegal drug has led to thousands of wrecked lives.

Legislators did right to pass a law in May that regulates the sale of
popular over-the-counter medicines that contain the main ingredients
in meth ? pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.

In Mobile and Baldwin counties alone, a week rarely passes without
law officers busting an illegal meth lab and arresting its operators.

The law took effect Friday, but it seems to have caught the Alabama
Beverage Control off guard. So far, the agency's response has been
wholly inadequate.

The ABC had no enforcement plan in place, leaving store owners
confused about the law's requirements.

The new state law requires retailers to check the ID's of buyers of
products such as the popular decongestant Sudafed.

Buyers must be 18 or older, and they must sign a register.

Moreover, no one can purchase more than two packages or 6 grams of
drugs at a time.

In addition, stores can put the over-the-counter medications behind
the counter or in a locked cabinet, or stop selling it.

Alabama's congressional delegation can help by leading Congress to
pressure Mexico, which has become a leading supplier of
methamphetamine to U.S. users. The Oregonian newspaper of Portland,
Ore., revealed disquieting evidence last week about Mexico's role in
supplying U.S. addicts with meth.

The Mexican government needs to do much more to limit imports of
pseudoephedrine by operators of illegal meth labs.

As for Alabama's state legislators, they can contribute by revisiting
a bill that would create criminal penalties for exposing children to
the manufacture of meth.

In the meantime, the ABC can step up its enforcement efforts, and
retailers can become enthusiastic about abiding the law. While
fighting meth requires national and international efforts, a state
assault against the drug's production in Alabama can begin now.