METH LOCKDOWN

East Valley Cities Ponder Stricter Standards For Buying Over-The-Counter
Medicines Used To Make Illegal Drug

East Valley local governments want tougher regulations on methmaking
medicines, saying a new state law that kicks in Nov. 6 isn't enough. Under
the law, Sudafed and other cold/allergy remedies that contain
pseudoephedrine or ephedrine as the only active ingredient must be behind
the counter, and only three boxes can be purchased at a time.
Pseudoephedrine is the one chemical necessary to make the illegal drug
methamphetamine. But the Scottsdale City Council meets Nov. 15 to consider
harsher regulations, and Gilbert Town Councilman Larry Morrison has
expressed interest in doing the same. Both were influenced by the East
Valley Interfaith Alliance and the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. The
Alliance plans to continue going city by city, urging ordinances that call
for stricter standards than the state law. The league meets Oct. 28 at the
Phoenix Zoo to discuss whether to urge the Legislature to toughen it. "I
think it's a little bit out of control, it's so easy to produce it right
now," said Scottsdale Councilman Tom Silverman of methamphetamine.
"Whatever we can do to make it better, to slow it down and to eradicate it,
I think we need to do." Phoenix has already created a tougher ordinance,
requiring customers to sign a list beginning Dec. 6, which will be turned
over monthly to the police to check for unusually large purchases.

The Phoenix ordinance also allows the city to seize medication displayed on
open shelves instead of behind the counter. But some state officials are
concerned the typical cold sufferer will be the one who pays for new
municipal ordinances. And they say the new state law is written to preclude
municipalities from creating harsher standards. Sen. Barbara Leff,
RParadise Valley sponsored the law and another that became effective Aug.
12 that dramatically increased prison time for people making meth around
children. She insists the new standards should be tested before changing
the law, especially since the Drug Enforcement Administration reports that
as much as 90 percent of pseudoephedrine used in Arizona meth labs is
coming from Mexico, not local stores. "My focus was to go after people who
are actually trafficking or cooking methamphetamine," she said. "What the
cities are doing I think is way too severe and it won't make a bit of
difference in the methamphetamine problem that we have." Dick White, a
co-chairman of the interfaith alliance, said he's heard too many stories of
lives ruined by the drug to back down. "We recognize this is not the only
or final answer," he said. "There is a significant amount of meth that
comes in to the state from outside the state. But this will take a bite
out." Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said it's "terrific" that
municipalities are taking the initiative and passing local ordinances. "But
that's going to create a patchwork of coverage, unfortunately, across the
state," he said. "Certain city areas will have restrictions, whereas county
areas will not." Many area stores already have in place corporate policies
keeping the medication behind the counter, often in the store's pharmacy.
"What we'd like to see is a consistent approach across the country, so
we're not dealing with 45 different laws in 45 different states," said
Walgreens national spokesman Michael Polzin, whose company began
restricting the purchases and keeping all products in pharmacies two years ago.