LAWMAKERS MAKE PUSH TO STIFFEN LAWS ON METH

Local Law Enforcement Say Laws Would Help Them Some

Lawmakers, retailers and law enforcement aren't expecting much backlash
from the slew of proposed laws to deter methamphetamine makers in Tennessee.

The highly addictive stimulant spread into the region in 1998 and has since
gained popularity, including in Montgomery County where 16 meth labs were
discovered last year.

Each of the approximately 30 bills' cost and practicality are being
reviewed in a state legislature joint committee this week and next week --
and many of which might not make it past the committee, said committee
member Maggi Duncan.

Bills with a high-dollar fiscal note, such as stiffening the penalties for
meth manufacture, will probably not be passed, said Duncan, who is also the
executive director of Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.

"If it's a great bill, and it's worth the expense, it's something we have
to consider," said state Rep. Phillip Johnson, R-Pegram. "It comes down to
price. People say we don't want any new taxes, and I'm one of them. We've
got to look at these (bills) dollar for dollar."

Duncan advocates a Senate committee that could form a comprehensive plan to
pay for long-term strategies to wipe out meth in Tennessee.

"You can't quickly pass legislation on something of this magnitude," she said.

One bill would limit to three the number of packages of cold medication a
person can buy. The over-the-counter medicines contain ingredients used by
clandestine cookers to make meth.

Many bills stiffen penalties of meth possession and manufacturing. One bill
would require retailers to log customers' personal information if they buy
more than $25 of cold medication. Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and
phenylpropanolamine are ingredients used in meth-making and are found in
about 300 products sold in drug stores. Law enforcement could use the
customer register to track high-volume consumers who might be manufacturing
meth.

Rep. Charles Curtiss, D-Sparta, who sponsored the house bill, said
eliminating places to buy an abundance of meth ingredients could force meth
makers to buy elsewhere. The bill also is sponsored by Sen. Charlotte
Burks, D-Monterey, and Raymond Walker, R-Crossville.

Local law enforcement officials aren't persuaded the legislation will have
a substantial effect on meth manufacture in Clarksville. But, they say, any
measure could help curb the spread of meth.

Montgomery County hasn't experienced the same meth growth as eastern parts
of the state. But locally, meth is the fastest growing drug, said Sheriff
Norman Lewis. In addition to the 16 labs found in the county in 2003, 14
people were charged with possessing the drug.

"They'll just go to 20 stores if they're that determined to get it." Lewis
said of the proposed legislation to limit access to cold medication. He
added, "It'll make it harder."

Clarksville police Sgt. Bert Clinard said Clarksville hasn't had the
increase in meth use and manufacture like much of the state has. One meth
lab was reported in the city last year, and four people were charged with
meth possession with the intent to sell.

Clinard said any inconvenience to a meth maker would be "a step in the
right direction. It's a good source of intelligence for the police
department," he said.

Clinard said meth's impact would be costly, whether the money is spent on
enforcing legislation or users' rehabilitation.

"I would rather pay for it on the legislation and prosecution end of it,"
he said.

At Walgreen Drug Stores, sales are already limited to six grams of cold
medications, which equals about two to four boxes, said Carol Hively,
spokeswoman for Walgreen's, which is based in Dearfield, Ill.

"We just don't wait for (the laws) to tell us what to do," she said.

Town & Country Drugs owner Steve Zaver understands both sides of the
legislation requiring customers to register.

Though some view the registry as a privacy issue, Zaver agrees that it
provides a means for law enforcement to track possible meth makers.

"I'm for it if it helps control the meth," Zaver said.

Some local residents think the register is a good idea.

Mark Morris said because meth is connected to other crimes, control
measures are necessary.

Morris said people who have a problem with the registry are probably the
ones making meth.

"I don't see why anybody would need more than three packages (of
medication)," he said.