ANTI-METH LEGISLATION COULD AFFECT COLD MEDICINE PRICES

If proposed state legislation prohibiting the sale of medications
containing the drugs ephedrine and pseudoephedrine becomes law, it could
affect the price of cold medicine presently sold on local pharmacy shelves.

The reason for the legislation? Methamphetamine, which makes its way
through illegal street drug trade under the names "meth," "speed," and
"crank," can be derived by breaking down ephedrine or pseudoephedrine,
which is found in certain cold medicines.

Ephedrine also can be chemically broken down by mixing it with other
readily available chemicals and used to create methamphetamine.

Once created -- often in illegal drug labs operating out of private homes
- -- meth is an addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system
and in high doses can cause hallucinations, paranoia and extreme rage. An
overdose can cause convulsions and death.

Because ephedrine hydrochloride, or Chinese ephedra, is used in sinus
medication such as Suphedrine and NyQuil and diet supplements like
Metabolife and Advocare, the legislation has the potential to affect more
people than just drug users and drug dealers.

Under the proposed legislation, customers wishing to purchase these common
medications -- harmless when used properly for medicinal purposes -- would
be required to show photo identification to purchase cold tablets
containing pseudoephedrine.

Purchases would be limited to no more than 9 grams of pseudoephedrine
within a 30-day period without a prescription. Liquid and gel products
would not be restricted since they are not commonly used to produce meth in
North Carolina, however.

David Work, executive director of the North Carolina Pharmacy Board in
Chapel Hill, believes the prices of cold medicine definitely will be
affected if the legislation becomes law.

"It will affect the price as well as the accessibility since it will be
behind the counter," Work said. "Law enforcement is making a big push to
get this through, and politically, (the new law) has a lot of traction with
the state House of Representatives, so something's going to happen with it."

At least one local pharmacy owner said that he is not sure how the
legislation will affect prices. But prices could be affected if pharmacies
are required to keep the medicines behind the counter, William Owens,
co-owner of Todd's Pharmacy, said.

"We haven't had anything in writing from the FDA that has told us to keep
stuff behind the counter," Owens said. "If it happens, though, it may
affect what the manufacturer charges for (cold medicine)."

The steps for creating meth can be found easily on the Internet, which is
part of the problem, said Noelle Talley, spokeswoman for the N.C. Attorney
General's Office. Her boss, Attorney General Roy Cooper, is the driving
force behind the proposed new law.

"That's the real danger," Talley said. "Meth can be made in people's houses
and the chemicals used are very toxic and can explode. It can affect
children who live in the homes as well." She said children can breathe the
toxic fumes or be injured from chemical explosions. As many as 124 children
were found living in North Carolina homes used as illegal meth labs in 2004.

In 1999, the first year that meth labs were reported in North Carolina, SBI
agents discovered nine labs. Since then, the number has skyrocketed, with
agents shutting down 322 labs in 2004 and more than 223 so far this year.

Capt. Frank Koch of the Elizabeth City Police Department said meth busts
are rare in Elizabeth City.

"We've made a couple of arrests for methamphetamines in the area over the
last couple of years," Koch said. "It hasn't got that prevalent here yet,
but it's starting to come into the area. We haven't dismantled any labs. We
have sent some of our officers to a school sponsored by the state that
deals with" met labs.

Emily Walker, a pharmacist for the Wal-Mart pharmacy, said the store keeps
medicines such as Suphedrine behind the counter and will sell no more than
two packages to any one customer. She said the problem is out of control in
many cities, however.

"I have a friend who is a firefighter in Portsmouth (Va.) and they have to
do special training for meth labs," she said. "He said they couldn't
believe how many boxes of cold medicines from China they would find in
these labs."

The President's Office of National Drug Control Policy said that in 2002,
meth use remained highest in the western and southwestern U.S., as well as
in Hawaii. Though use is low in the southeast, it is a growing problem,
Talley said.

"We don't have the problem here that some states do which have thousands
and thousands of labs, but it's on the rise," she said.

Laws restricting the sale of cold medicines containing ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine which have already been put in place have had a huge effect
in many states, Talley said.

"The first state to pass the new law was Oklahoma, which has seen an 80
percent drop in meth labs since that time," she said. "Tennessee
unanimously approved a law patterned after Oklahoma's in April and has
since seen a 39 percent decline in meth lab seizures. In Iowa, where a
similar law took effect last month, the number of meth labs is already down
by as much as 75 percent."