TOUGHER METH LAW STRIKES THE RIGHT BALANCE

Gov. Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee General Assembly should be applauded
for quickly passing a tough new methamphetamine law which was signed last
week by the governor. Lives will be saved because of lawmakers' and
Bredesen's quick action.

The new law is modeled after similar laws in states like Oklahoma. It
requires that cold medicines containing the drug pseudoephedrine be kept
behind pharmacy counters and that it be dispensed only by a licensed
pharmacist. The medicines can only be sold in limited amounts and records
must be kept of each purchase.

Certainly, the new law creates a little extra inconvenience for those
wanting to buy Sudafed. And small stores without pharmacies now are
prohibited from selling the medicines at all. But the greater good far
outweighs any inconvenience.

Pseudoephedrine is one of the key ingredients in meth. In recent years,
Tennessee has become a hotbed of meth production. Between October 2003 and
August 2004, there were 1,200 meth lab busts in Tennessee. And currently,
75 percent of all meth labs in the Southeast are found in our state.
Clearly, drastic action was needed.

Few can argue with the effectiveness of laws restricting pseudoephedrine
sales. In Oklahoma, for example, the number of meth lab busts has dropped
80 percent since the law was adopted. But Tennessee's law takes other
needed steps, as well. The law establishes a pilot drug court, toughens
jail sentences and seeks to raise public awareness about meth's dangers.

This law is a good first step in an attempt to curb the meth epidemic in
Tennessee. Surely, a little inconvenience is but a small price to pay.