BILL TARGETS METH, ONLINE DRUG SALES

House Committee Approves Measure

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A bill aimed at curbing methamphetamine's spread in
Kentucky was combined yesterday with legislation to regulate sales of
prescriptions on the Internet, and then was approved by a House committee.

Despite opposition by the Kentucky Retail Federation to parts of the meth
bill, backers of both measures said they supported joining them into a
single bill and believe it stands a good chance of passing.

"This will close two very big loopholes" in the fight against drugs, said
Attorney General Greg Stumbo, who has pushed for regulation of Internet
pharmacies.

"We're working together on this drug initiative," said Lt. Gov. Steve
Pence, who as state justice secretary testified on behalf of the meth bill
yesterday.

The Judiciary Committee unanimously sent Senate Bill 63, the meth bill, to
the full House after adding the provisions of the Internet prescriptions
bill that the House passed 97-0 a day earlier.

SB 63, without the Internet provisions, passed the Senate two weeks ago.

Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester and the sponsor of SB 63, said lawmakers
need to act now to stop the spread of meth.

"The problem of meth, as it started in the west and spread to the east, has
become quite pervasive in our state," he said. Internet prescriptions

In announcing legislation earlier this month to crack down on so-called
"rogue pharmacies" that sell drugs over the Internet, Stumbo said the
problem has become huge in parts of the state, particularly in Eastern
Kentucky.

Stumbo's investigators participated in arrests in the past week of people
in that region on charges of ordering controlled drugs such as painkillers
and tranquilizers over the Internet.

The bill's Internet drug provisions would allow the Kentucky Board of
Pharmacy to regulate companies that ship drugs into the state.

It also would require buyers to have a valid prescription and would require
the sellers to be approved by the National Association of Boards of
Pharmacy. Controlling ingredients

Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration devised the methamphetamine bill to
try to cope with the spread of the drug, an illegal and highly addictive
stimulant.

The Courier-Journal reported in a three-day series in December that the
spread of meth through Kentucky and Indiana is accelerating, clogging
courts, filling jails and prisons, ravaging families, and escalating demand
for treatment.

The series also found that Kentucky had failed to keep pace with other
states in restricting access to drugs containing pseudoephedrine, a
decongestant found in over-the-counter cold medicine such as Sudafed.

The bill would restrict access to pseudoephedrine, which is a key
ingredient of meth.

The bill would require stores to keep tablets that contain pseudoephedrine
in a secure location, such as behind the counter or in a locked case.

The pills could be sold only at stores with a pharmacy, and customers would
have to present photo identification and sign a log to obtain the pills
from a pharmacist or pharmacist's technician.

The bill also would limit buyers to nine grams, or about 300 tablets, of
pseudoephedrine per month.

Other forms -- such as gelcaps or liquids -- would not be affected because
they generally aren't used to produce meth. Too restrictive

The Kentucky Retail Federation contends that some of the requirements aimed
at stores are too restrictive.

Gay Dwyer, the federation's vice president for government affairs, said
yesterday that the group would prefer that customers not be required to
sign a log or show ID to buy cold medicine.

The group also doesn't want access restricted to pills with multiple
ingredients, such as cold medicine with a decongestant and a mild pain
reliever, she said.

"Meth is a problem, and we want to be part of the solution," Dwyer said.

Other provisions of the bill would toughen a law used to prosecute meth
makers and make it illegal to expose children to meth labs, which use toxic
chemicals and pose a risk of fire and explosions.

Several similar bills aimed at curbing the spread of meth failed last year.

Rep. Brent Yonts, D-Greenville, was among the committee members who voted
for the bill yesterday. He said he thinks it's time to act.

"We've plowed these fields before," said Yonts, from Muhlenberg County.

"My county has a huge problem with meth."