BILL WOULD TIGHTEN SALE OF COLD DRUGS

Lawmakers Aim To Curb Methamphetamine Labs

Pseudoephedrine Found In Medicine Is Used In Meth

Runny-nosed North Carolinians would have to flash photo identification and
sign a log before buying pseudoephedrine pills -- the ubiquitous
decongestants -- if lawmakers pass a bill meant to fight meth.

Pharmacists worry the legislation is overkill.

The bill filed Thursday, sponsored by state Sen. Walter Dalton and Sen.
John Snow and crafted by Attorney General Roy Cooper, attacks a growing
drug problem at its source. Methamphetamine, made from common garage and
medicine-cabinet items, has ravaged states in the West and Midwest. The
problem is heading East, and North Carolina law enforcers are bracing for
an epidemic.

Only one state, Oklahoma, has put pseudoephedrine tablets under
pharmacists' watch. About 20 other states are considering it, said Noelle
Talley, a spokeswoman for Cooper.

"It is too easy to manufacture this drug," Dalton said in a news conference
Thursday. "This bill will go a long way in putting manufacturers out of
business."

The decongestant is meth's base ingredient. Under the bill, customers
shopping for pseudoephedrine-based cold pills, such as Sudafed, would have
to wait in line to see a pharmacist who would screen their purchase. Stores
without pharmacies would have to yank the tablets altogether. Syrups, gel
capsules and a new version of cold medicine using phenylephrine as a base
would remain.

The proposed law has pharmacists concerned.

"With all the record-keeping we have to do now already, this will just slow
down the process of people getting their medicine," said John Woodard, a
pharmacist and owner of Sutton's Drug Store in Chapel Hill.

And lobbyists for retailers complain that by pulling cold medicines off
grocery and convenience market shelves, the law would unfairly limit
customer access. Round-the-clock pharmacies are scarce in North Carolina.

"In Wake County, if you work the second shift and fought a cold all the way
through it and need to get some medicine when you get off, there's only one
place you can go," said Fran Preston, president of the N.C. Retail
Merchants Association.

Meth Labs On Rise

Lawmakers say customer inconvenience is worth it. In just the past five
years, law enforcement has been losing a battle with meth manufacturers.

In 1999, officers in North Carolina busted nine labs; in 2004, officers
found 322 labs. That number is expected to hit between 500 and 700 this year.

Officials complained that children are being exposed to meth labs and that
too many local firefighters and police are being exposed to dangerous
chemicals when they bust up a meth lab. Darien South, a Watauga County
firefighter, testified to the horrors of meth labs Thursday, describing how
fumes at a meth lab fire he responded to scorched his lungs and temporarily
blinded him.

In Oklahoma, meth lab busts have dropped by 80 percent since the law
restricting pseudo-ephedrine sales went into effect in April.

Efforts Under Way

The bill is expected to get warm reception in the N.C. General Assembly,
which passed stiffer penalties for meth users last session. Legislative
leaders, such as House Speaker Jim Black, are convinced lawmakers will find
a common ground between access and scrutiny, said his spokeswoman, Julie
Robinson.

In addition to efforts in other states, similar legislation has been
introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this session, Talley said.

Some pharmacists fear that some stores legally able to carry common cold
medicines will get out of the business altogether. "Many pharmacists will
just stop carrying it, because they don't want the hassle," said Bill
Burch, who owns and runs Central Pharmacy in Durham.

Already, pharmacists must regulate nonprescription cough syrups with
codeine. They must screen the customer before the sale. Many ask for
identification, and the law requires pharmacists to log the customer's name
and address. Drug Enforcement Administration agents spot check the records.

Willing To Comply

Some chain retailers already have taken steps to curb illegal use of
pseudoephedrine tablets. Pharmacies such as CVS ask for a photo
identification. Others, such as Eckerd, limit the number of packs customers
can buy. More than a dozen states mandate a limit on pseudoephedrine packs
purchased.

Thursday at Central Pharmacy, Janet George of Durham needed 10 minutes to
hunt for a cold medicine to combat her sniffles and cough. She read the
labels, compared prices and chatted with a pharmacist who wandered by to
offer a suggestion.

Though George was anxious to get home, pop a pill and crawl into bed, she
said she wouldn't mind waiting to see a pharmacist and showing her license.

"It would be less convenient, but there are some things more important to
me than convenience," said George, 40, whose brother is a police officer
who busts meth labs in Colorado. "When I weigh the odds, I'm OK with it."

Lawmakers hope others will be as patient. "This is such a small
inconvenience for a great benefit," Cooper said.