DO COLD MEDICINE RULES JUST CHASE METH OUT OF STATE?

RISING SUN, Ind. -- When Indiana restricted the sale of
over-the-counter cold medicines this year, pharmacist Dan Beyer
suddenly found himself a front-line defender in the state's war
against methamphetamine.

But the drug producers have sidestepped the law by stockpiling
supplies in states that don't limit sales of pseudoephedrine, a
popular ingredient in meth.

"They're going to the places with the least resistance," said Beyer,
who works 15 miles from Ohio, which doesn't restrict pseudoephedrine sales.

"If we're going to do all this work and all they have to do is cross
a river, we've accomplished absolutely nothing," he said.

Some Require a Prescription

States across the country face the same dilemma thanks to a patchwork
of laws aimed at controlling the highly addictive drug.

Thirty-seven states restrict sales of pseudoephedrine, a key
ingredient in many cold medicines. But the laws vary widely, from
requiring consumers to have a prescription to simply limiting the
number of packages purchased at one time.

Thirteen states have no pseudoephedrine laws, according to the
National Conference of State Legislatures.

Law officers say meth producers have exploited these differences by
crossing state borders to buy ingredients or by "pharmacy shopping"
in states that require a log of purchases but don't cross-reference entries.

'Traveling Great Distances'

"What we're beginning to see is people traveling great distances to
get pseudoephedrine," said Jack Riley, assistant special agent in
charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in St. Louis.

States without pseudoephedrine laws acknowledge meth is a problem,
but some say tight budgets have cut support for restrictions. Others
are struggling with how to restrict a legitimate product.

"Pseudoephedrine helps people with sinus conditions," said Ohio state
Sen. John Carey, who sponsored a bill that would limit purchases and
require stores to collect names and signatures for all purchases. "We
don't want to keep people from buying it, we just want to restrict
how much they can get to make meth."

The U.S. Senate last month approved a bill that would require all
consumers to show a photo ID, sign a log and be limited to about 250
30-milligram pills in 30 days.

The bill is headed for a conference committee.
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Following The Meth Trail

WHAT'S NEW?: Producers of meth are sidestepping laws limiting
purchases of pseudoephedrine by stockpiling supplies in states with
no restrictions.

WHERE'S IT HAPPENING?: Thirteen states, including Ohio, have no
pseudoephedrine laws, according to the National Conference of State
Legislatures.

WHAT ABOUT INDIANA?: After Indiana's new law took effect July 1, meth
lab busts in Indiana fell 26 percent to 113 during July and August
from 153 busts during the same period in 2004.