WORK AGAINST METH PROGRESSES; MORE NEEDED

Montana could finally be on the way to slowing the insidious surge of
methamphetamine production in the state.

Lawmakers are working hard at both the federal and state levels to staunch
the easy flow of meth ingredients needed to "cook" the addictive drug.

Unfortunately, state representatives late last week approved an amendment
that effectively gutted one of the anti-meth measures.

At the federal level, meanwhile, Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg is
pushing federal officials to expedite federal testing of a new compound
that could be added to anhydrous ammonia, which is one of the ingredients
of meth.

Anhydrous ammonia also is a farm fertilizer commonly used in rural Montana.

According to researchers at the University of Iowa, the additive doesn't
harm the fertilizer but prevents the chemical reactions that allow the
manufacture of meth.

A study by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed that the additive
rendered anhydrous ammonia useless to meth makers.

But before it can be put in use, the U.S. Department of Transportation must
study the additive's effects on storage tanks and other equipment. The
tests could take eight months or more.

Rehberg says that's too long, and he's imploring Transportation Secretary
Norman Mineta to speed up the process as much as possible.

He'd like to introduce legislation that would allow -- maybe even require
- -- the use of the additive in anhydrous ammonia.

That could be a huge deterrent to those who rely on stealing the fertilizer
to produce their drugs.

The Montana Legislature, meanwhile, appears on track to pass a bill meant
to limit another meth ingredient: pseudoephedrine, found commonly in
over-the-counter cold medications.

As originally introduced, House Bill 287 required that some drugs
containing pseudoephedrine be sold only from behind the counter of licensed
pharmacies. It would require buyers to show a valid ID and pharmacists to
maintain logs of those purchasing the drug.

Similar measures in other states resulted in dramatic reductions in meth
production.

Unfortunately, the bill was watered down last week with an amendment
allowing any "retail establishment" to sell the drug.

That was meant to lessen the impact on rural Montanans. But the original
bill took them into consideration by not restricting the sale of gel caps
or liquid forms of the drug, which can't easily be used in meth production.
It also allowed consumers to stockpile up to 300 pills at their home in
case they lived far from a pharmacy.

The amendment by Rep. John Witt, R-Carter, basically guts an otherwise
strong bill. It should be removed, and there's still a chance for that to
happen on Monday.

Methamphetamine abuse is a huge problem in Montana. It is destroying
families, hurting workplaces, clogging the court system and overfilling
jails and prisons.

We encourage Rep. Rehberg to keep abreast the anhydrous ammonia additive
issue -- and to introduce strong legislation when appropriate.

We also urge the Montana Legislature to pass HB287 in its original form.

When the ingredients to meth are limited, perhaps its production and use
finally will taper off.