RESTRICT COLD MEDICINE, CUT METH

Education A Key Step To Eliminating Meth Use

Neither presidential candidate has spent much time this campaign
season talking about methamphetamine. That's why it was good to see
John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, in the Ozarks this week to talk about a new federal government
plan to combat meth production.

A key component of the plan is stronger state control of the chemicals
used in the production of meth, specifically pseudoephedrine.

Pseudoephedrine is commonly found in over-the-counter decongestants
and is one of the easiest meth ingredients to purchase.

An Oklahoma law restricts the drug so that only licensed pharmacists
or pharmacy technicians can sell it. Customers have their identities
and purchases recorded in a database.

This may feel like an unnecessary government intrusion into personal
privacy. Why should the government need to know if you have a head
cold?

Although this complaint may have some merit, the abuse of
pseudoephedrine calls for more stringent regulations of these drugs.

"It all stems from the abuse of the ephedrine being extracted from the
pills," said Steve Dalton, a lieutenant with the Branson Police
Department and the officer in charge of the Combined Ozarks
Multi-jurisdictional Enforcement Team, a drug task force referred to
as COMET and spanning nine southwest Missouri counties.

Many meth addicts develop $100-a-day habits. The people who can't
afford this often turn to cooking small batches to use. This is an
epidemic in Missouri.

For two years in a row, our state has had the sad distinction of
leading the nation in meth labs seized, and we're on track to be tops
for a third consecutive year.

What these statistics can't tell us is whether Missourians use more
meth or whether Missouri law enforcement officers are more effective
at finding meth labs than officers in other states.

And when you total up all the meth labs that have been found in
Missouri and our border states, it equals 50 percent of the meth labs
in the whole nation.

Meth labs in this region typically cook a batch ranging from 1 to 5
ounces. In California and Mexico, large labs cook batches of several
pounds of meth. But small and large meth labs are equally toxic and
pose an equal danger to law enforcement, Dalton said.

How do we reduce demand for the meth high?

The best way to reduce demand is to reduce production, Dalton said.
And the best way to do that is to make it harder to get the
ingredients.

However, education is another major factor. According to a national
survey, 1.3 million people used meth in 2002 and about half of those
users were under 18.

This federal government plan is good. But we need to do more to stop
the demand for this highly addictive drug.