SENATE VOTES TO RESTRICT SALE OF KEY INGREDIENT IN METH

WASHINGTON - The Senate unanimously approved a far-reaching bill
Friday that would impose tight limits on the sale of cold remedies
containing a key ingredient used to make methamphetamine.

The bill - opposed by some retailers and drug makers - passed as an
amendment to a spending bill that funds federal science, justice and
other programs. The House passed a different version of that bill
earlier this year, without the meth provisions.

The proposal would limit access to Sudafed and other cold pills that
contain pseudoephedrine, a primary ingredient in meth, by requiring
retailers to put such products behind a pharmacy counter. Consumers
would have to sign a log and show an ID to buy them, and sales
information would be put into a database to help police track large
purchases.

"The federal government needs to get aggressively and comprehensively
into the fight against meth, and this bill is a major step in that
direction," said Sen. James M. Talent, R-Mo., a primary author of the
bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

In addiction to the pharmacy restriction, under the Talent-Feinstein
bill, consumers would be able to buy only 7.5 grams of pseudoephedrine
products per month. The quantity of pseudoephedrine varies in
different medications; for example, the limit would amount to two
boxes per month of full-strength Sudafed, with 30 pills in each box.

States could enact tougher, but not weaker, measures under the
legislation.

Talent and Feinstein acknowledged that the bill has to clear several
hurdles, including winning approval from the Bush administration. Last
month, the White House proposed looser restrictions that Talent said
were inadequate.