JAMAICA SEEKS TO LIMIT DRUG-MAKING CHEMICALS

KINGSTON, Jamaica, - Jamaica's House of
Representatives has approved a law intended to curb the illegal drug
trade by restricting the sale of 37 precursor chemicals used to
process drugs.

The bill, passed in the House late Wednesday, must still be approved
by the Caribbean island's Senate.

It provides for monitoring and restricting chemicals such as
hydrochloric acid, caustic soda and propane, which have been
identified as critical to the manufacture of narcotics.

National Security and Justice Minister K.D. Knight, who piloted the
bill, said legitimate manufacturers who require the chemicals would
have to apply for a license from the pharmaceutical department of the
Ministry of Health.

Knight said the new law would help Jamaica meet its obligations under
a United Nations convention against the illegal drug trade. Jamaica
ratified the convention in 1988.