CONGRESS SHOULD STAY OUT OF STATES' WAY

Methamphetamine, a highly addictive and dangerous drug, has emerged as the
leading law enforcement and social welfare problem in many states. It also
poses, because meth "cooks" leave remains of highly toxic labs, a serious
public health and environmental threat. That's why many states now severely
restrict sales of the decongestant pseudoephedrine, the ingredient
absolutely necessary to make meth.

Methamphetamine, a highly addictive and dangerous drug, has emerged as the
leading law enforcement and social welfare problem in many states. It also
poses, because meth "cooks" leave remains of highly toxic labs, a serious
public health and environmental threat. That's why many states now severely
restrict sales of the decongestant pseudoephedrine, the ingredient
absolutely necessary to make meth.

Illegal manufacturing and use of methamphetamine is a leading cause, in
many states, of property crimes and homicides. It is responsible for a huge
portion of child foster care placements. Those meth users who don't travel
a straight line to self-destruction also impose large costs on state
Medicaid programs.

Because meth is so easily made and is almost instantly addictive, it is
quite unlike any other illegal drug use epidemic in memory. The
congressional reaction to the meth tsunami, if one is to believe the spin,
is to "get tough" by enacting national restrictions on the sale of
pseudoephedrine.

Meth legislation is a case study in the worst sort of Washington influence
peddling. Major grocery and drug stores chains, who like to cast themselves
as members of the communities where they do business, have their national
associations, most prominently the National Association of Chain Drug
Stores, doing their dirty work. And the drug company lobbying comes
primarily from a handful of companies that failed to take action to convert
their product lines to effective alternatives to pseudoephedrine. The irony
of the industry's fight against pseudoephedrine regulation is that there is
no need for this dangerously misused product to remain in the marketplace.
An equally effective alternative, called phenylephrine, is readily available.

Responsible manufacturers of cold and allergy medications, such as Procter
& Gamble and Pfizer, already have begin the process of converting their
brand-name products, such as Sudafed-PE and the Vick's brand, to
phenylephrine. Most manufacturers of store brands are doing the same. Tough
state restrictions on sales of pseudoephedrine are working, and Congress
should stay out of states' way. It should be rewarding responsible
retailers and manufacturers by enacting a tough regulatory floor on
pseudoephedrine sales and allow states to enact more stringent rules as
local conditions and the diabolical creativity of meth cooks warrant. To do
anything less would be a political fraud.