METH LAWS LIMIT MEDICINE PURCHASES

In the midst of this year's cold season, it may prove more difficult
to buy medicine for sore throats and runny noses.

Consumers must purchase medicines containing pseudoephedrine as a
regulated over-the-counter drug.

A prescription is not required for purchase of such medicines,
however, due to state and federal regulations, drugs such as Sudafed,
Contac and PediaCare must be purchased behind the pharmacy counter.

This precaution exists as a byproduct of methamphetamine use, which
has increased across the nation and in the Boone area.

Methamphetamine is produced using medicines made from pseudoephedrine
and household products ranging from rubbing alcohol to farm fertilizer.

Pseudoephedrine most commonly exists in medicines that help relieve
symptoms of colds, sinus infections, allergies and influenza.

"The law came about in North Carolina the beginning of January 2006,"
information support coordinator for Boone Drugs, Inc. Kimberly A. Cooper said.

After legislation passed concerning the sale of pseudoephedrine,
pharmacies and stores selling the medicines had to undergo many
changes and precautions.

"When someone comes in to buy these medicines, we ask for a federal
or state issued I.D. with a photo. A driver's license will work,"
Cooper said. "We have a log book where we have to check back for the
last 30 days to make sure they haven't exceeded the legal amount they
can purchase."

Cooper said the amount of pseudoephedrine medicine a person can buy
is limited to 3.6 grams a day, 6 grams or two packages in a 24-hour
period, and 9 grams in 30 days.

At the end of every month, law enforcement gathers the information
from places where these products are sold.

Appalachian State University's Mary S. Shook Student Health Services
cut back the number of medications they have available containing
pseudoephedrine.

"The only product we carry that contains [pseudoephedrine] is generic
Sudafed. In order to purchase that, you have to produce your student
I.D., we verify that you are 18, and you can only buy two boxes a
month," pharmacist David J. Neal said. "We carried other medicines
before the law, but to make things easier for us to keep up with, we
decided to carry the Sudafed only."

Although pseudoephedrine laws have created additional work, many
believe the procedures are needed.

"I think it's necessary," university physician Dr. Jay W. Cranston
said. "There doesn't seem to be another means to stop people from
getting the ingredients to make meth. There are still people getting
busted all the time for trying to purchase too much pseudoephedrine."

Cooper agrees the law is effective.

"I don't have any problems with it," she said. "Yes, it takes a
little longer, but it's fairly necessary. The police seem very
concerned, and it's my understanding that we have a lot of meth
producers and users in the area."