TALENT OUTLINES FEDERAL PLAN TO FIGHT METH PROBLEM

Sen. Jim Talent, calling methamphetamine "the No. 1 law-enforcement
problem facing Missouri," on Friday outlined a federal plan to
increase funding for police and prosecutors and restrict sales of the
over-the-counter cold pills used to make the powerful narcotic.

Speaking at a news conference at the St. Louis County Police
headquarters in Clayton, Talent called the Combat Meth Act the most
comprehensive anti-meth legislation ever proposed.

The bill - sponsored by Talent, R-Mo., and Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
D-Calif. - would direct $20 million to train police, hire prosecutors
and fund programs that help children injured in drug labs. But the
bill's focus is restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine, the active
ingredient in scores of cold remedies.

Under the Talent-Feinstein proposal, cold sufferers would be able to
buy only 6 grams at one time and a total of 9 grams of pseudoephedrine
every 30 days. In most cases, consumers would have to buy the pills
from pharmacies, show identification and sign for the pills. That
information would be put into a database to help law enforcement track
large purchases of the drug.

The measure is based on a 2004 Oklahoma law that police there say has
reduced the number of meth labs in the state by more than 80 percent.
Iowa, Arkansas and Tennessee have adopted similar laws this year, and
efforts are under way in several other states. A Missouri version of
the law has passed the House and Senate and is expected to be
presented to Gov. Matt Blunt this month.

Talent said his bill is tougher than anything being proposed at the
state level. The law covers pseudoephedrine gel-caps and
multi-ingredient remedies that would not be affected under most state
proposals. Those products cannot easily be used to make meth, but many
meth experts believe drug cooks will master recipes using those remedies.

Talent said he also wants more funding for meth prevention programs
for children and for police crime labs that are often overburdened by
processing evidence seized at meth labs. "This is not the be-all,
end-all in the fight against methamphetamine, but it is going to go a
long way to solving the problem," Talent said.