EXTEND METH RULES TO ENTIRE STATE

Over the past year, seven Iowa counties and municipalities enacted local
ordinances to tighten controls on the sale of cold and allergy remedies
containing pseudoephedrine - the one ingredient vital to produce
methamphetamine. A number of other local governments including the state's
largest county, Polk, are in the process of doing the same. The legislation
is as no surprise since Iowa is seen as having the weakest state law
regulating the key ingredient used to make meth.

As of Dec. 28, Iowa law enforcement had seized 1,301 clandestine meth labs
in 2004, setting another state record. According to the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, Iowa ranks third nationally in the number of
meth labs, and ranks second on a per-capita basis.

The Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy has introduced a bill to
legislators to place products containing pseudoephedrine in pharmacies,
require customers to show photo identification and the pharmacy to maintain
a log of the purchase.

Last spring Oklahoma enacted Schedule V legislation for drugs that do not
require a prescription, but would be available only from behind the
pharmacy counter. Since then the state has seen about a 50 percent drop in
meth lab reports and has saved $1.2 million in hazardous-material removal
fees. Oregon is implementing similar controls, and Iowa's neighboring
states are considering similar action.

Meth is a super-addictive drug that causes long-term brain damage and is
relatively cheap and easy to make. The problem persists despite tougher
penalties for meth manufacturing and trafficking, and restrictions on the
quantity of pseudoephedrine products that can be bought. Over the past
three years, the Iowa Department of Human Services classified almost 1,000
Iowa children as victims of abuse due to parents manufacturing meth or
possessing meth precursor chemicals. In a recent survey, more than 90
percent of Iowa police chiefs and sheriffs reported that meth precursor
controls are needed. The volatile nature of toxic chemicals used by cooks
poses significant environmental risks, and meth lab cleanup requires a
tremendous amount of time and resources.

One concern about the legislation: Would it restrict law-abiding Iowans'
access to cold and allergy medicine? I am confident that an accommodation
can be found to allow immediate access for law-abiding citizens, while
making it unfeasible for meth cooks to buy or steal large quantities. A
2003 survey of Iowans by the University of Northern Iowa found that about
80 percent of respondents supported limiting the amount of purchase,
showing a photo ID and having to ask the pharmacist or clerk in order to
make the purchase.

Another concern is the new law's effect on civil liberties. Customer logs
would comply with federal privacy laws, and law-enforcement agencies or
prosecuting attorneys would have to obtain a court order specific to the
individuals being checked.

While meth labs constitute a small amount of the meth consumed, responding
to them requires an inordinate amount of public-safety and health resources
that could be better directed toward interdicting meth traffickers crossing
into Iowa and providing treatment services to meth addicts.

Meanwhile, everyday Iowans - particularly young children who have no place
else to go - are exposed to the toxic and explosive chemicals used at meth
lab sites. A Carroll County infant nearly died from a baby bottle filled
with pseudoephedrine and other meth-making chemicals. A 14-year-old girl in
southeast Iowa died of a meth overdose after mixing meth lab residue given
to her by her mother's boyfriend with a bottle of pop. And the list goes on.

In lieu of effective state measures, various counties and municipalities
have stepped into the breach with their own ordinances. It's time for the
Legislature to pass this legislation.