TARGETING DRUG SUPPLIES

Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo wants to crack down on pharmacies that
he says are shipping highly addictive drugs like OxyContin into the state to
people without valid prescriptions.

And he's got allies. Rep. Mike Weaver, D-Elizabethtown, and Sen. Dick
Roeding, R-Lakeside Park, are sponsoring a bill that would authorize
Kentucky to seize such shipments and penalize senders.

Federal law already prohibits the sale of controlled substances without
prescriptions, but the proposed law would give Kentucky its own muscle.

Shippers of controlled substances would be required, for example, to report
such shipments to the Kentucky agency that tracks addictive drugs. They'd
also be required to have return addresses on their packages and proof of
registration.

The law wouldn't interfere with legitimate companies or holders of
legitimate prescriptions who have them filled by pharmacies they find on the
Internet.

While acknowledging the challenge of enforcing Kentucky's criminal penalties
on out-of-state pharmacies, Mr. Stumbo said that his office will cooperate
with other authorities.

Mr. Stumbo's determination to go after rogue pharmacies deserves praise. His
effort complements new legislation being championed by the Fletcher
administration to make it tougher for home-grown methamphetamine producers
to easily get hold of their basic ingredients, which are found in many
allergy and cold medicines that are sold over the counter without
prescriptions.

What all Kentuckians should press for is cooperation, not competition,
between Mr. Stumbo and Lt. Gov. Steve Pence, whom Gov. Ernie Fletcher has
deputized to lead Kentucky's war on drugs.

Collaborative efforts by those two could usher in a new era for Kentucky, in
which there's less tolerance for substance abuse, more support for the
treatment of addicts, and harsh punishment of those who traffic in illegal
substances and profit from the misery they cause.