LAW PUTTING COLD MEDICINE BEHIND COUNTER TAKES EFFECT

The battle against meth in McDowell and across the state now has an ally.

A new law that limits access to the drug's key ingredient went into
effect Sunday. It requires that all single- and multi-source tablets,
caplets or pills containing pseudoephedrine and ephedrine be sold
behind pharmacy counters. Purchasers must be at least 18 years old,
show a photo ID and sign a log to buy the medications.

The law also limits purchases of pseudoephedrine products to no more
than two packages at once and no more than three packages within 30
days without a prescription.

Pharmacy supervisors in Marion say they think the state's move will
be beneficial in the long run.

"It's been a slight inconvenience, but it will be worth it if it
helps the meth situation," stated Fred Rabon, a pharmacist at Marion
Pharmacy, who added that they finished the task back in December.
"We've moved some items and have just deleted others because we
didn't have room from them in the back."

"It's been a good two or three days' worth of work, but I'm glad to
see them do it," CVS Manager Harvey Evans said Friday, adding that
the project was complete at his store. He stated that some of his
employees had to undergo training to understand the consequences of
illegally selling pseudoephedrine products. Evans said the first
offense is a misdemeanor, and the second offense is a felony.

McDowell County placed atop the state in meth lab busts in 2004 and
2005. The number of dismantled labs skyrocketed here from six in 2003
to 43 in 2004. Local authorities found 61 last year.

In 1999, the first year that meth labs were reported in North
Carolina, State Bureau of Investigation agents discovered nine labs.
That number jumped to 322 in 2004 and 328 in 2005.

Officers and lawmakers believe the new legislation will significantly
curb those figures.

"It's not going to shut down the meth problem, but it's going to slow
it down drastically," said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr. of McDowell County
Drug Enforcement. "Pseudoephedrine is the only ingredient (meth
cooks) can't replace."

"These secret drug labs that make meth threaten our families and our
communities," stated Attorney General Roy Cooper, who championed the
new law. "The best way to keep criminals from making this dangerous
drug is to cut off their access to its main ingredient, and that's
exactly what we're doing with this new law."

North Carolina's new legislation is similar to a law passed in
Oklahoma in 2004 that has resulted in a more than 80 percent drop in
meth labs in that state.

As under the Oklahoma law, most liquid and gel cap forms of cold
remedies will remain available for sale on store shelves because
there have been no meth labs reported in North Carolina where gels
and liquids were used. However, North Carolina law goes a step
further by granting the Commission for Mental Health, Developmental
Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services the authority to place
restrictions on all liquids and gels. Cooper said he will work with
the commission and law enforcement to determine what restrictions are
appropriate.