PERDUE TO SIGN METHAMPHETAMINE BILL

Sudafed and similar cold and sinus medicines will be sold only from behind
Georgia store counters under legislation Gov. Sonny Perdue is scheduled to
sign today.

In an effort to discourage people from making the illegal stimulant
methamphetamine, drugs with the sole active ingredient of pseudoephedrine
no longer will be sold off the shelf as of July 1. Customers will have to
ask for them. The law also will bar retailers from selling more than three
packages of the medicines at once.

Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient used in making meth, which law
enforcement officials say is epidemic in Georgia.

The law will override stricter ordinances that some communities, including
Douglas and Floyd counties, have adopted. They will have until Jan. 1 to
comply with the statewide standard.

Supporters say the new law will discourage meth "cooks" from buying the
large amounts of pseudoephedrine needed to make the drug. Meth often is
made in dangerous makeshift labs in kitchens and sheds.

Critics, however, say the bill isn't tough enough. Some legislators had
wanted to allow only licensed pharmacists to sell the products and to make
customers show a photo ID and sign a log.

"It's not as strong a bill as we had hoped for, but certainly it's better
than not doing anything," said Peggy Walker, a Douglas County Juvenile
Court judge and member of a local methamphetamine task force. In Douglas
County, customers buying Sudafed and similar medicines must show a photo ID
and sign a log.

The new law will require wholesalers who sell Sudafed and similar drugs to
obtain a license through the state Board of Pharmacy. It also will
encourage retailers to participate in the Georgia Meth Watch Program to
spot suspicious customers and to raise public awareness about meth.

Perdue is scheduled to sign the bill during a ceremony at a Food Lion in
Chickamauga in northwest Georgia, an area that has been especially hard hit
by meth abuse. The bill's chief sponsors are from the area: Rep. Jay Neal
(R-LaFayette) and Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga).