IOWA METH LABS REDUCED BY 75 PERCENT

New Law Seems To Have Curbed Meth Production

DES MOINES - The number of illegal methamphetamine labs in Iowa dropped a
dramatic 75 percent in the first two months after the state tightened
restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine, officials said Monday.

Gov. Tom Vilsack, who calls the new law the toughest in the nation, said he
and other state officials had not predicted the law would be so effective
so soon.

Pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in cold and allergy remedies, is also
the key ingredient in making the illegal and highly addictive narcotic
known as meth.

Vilsack said he has not heard major complaints about the new sales
restrictions on pseudoephedrine and that retailers who might oppose the
limits cannot refute statistics showing how successful they have been.

"No matter how much the profit motives may generate concern about this law,
the reality is this law is working," he said.

The sales restrictions, which went into effect May 21, require consumers to
make all but the smallest purchases of drugs containing pseudoephedrine at
a pharmacy. Customers also are required to show identification and register
their pseudoephedrine purchases in a log.

From the beginning of May through July 29, a total of 70 reported meth
labs were discovered in the state. That is down from a reported 286 during
the same three-month period last year.

Vilsack, joined by Iowa law enforcement officials at a news conference
Monday, urged federal lawmakers not to hamper Iowa's efforts with a
less-stringent federal anti-meth measure that is moving through Congress.

"They want to weaken the law," he said. "They want to provide less
protection, they want to provide more exemptions. They want to provide more
flexibility in terms of being able to get pseudoephedrine."

Vilsack said that when Congress reconvenes next month, he will be watching
closely to see what it does with anti-meth legislation.

"I'm fine with a federal law, so long as it's as strong or stronger than
the state law. But at this point and time, I'm not assured of that, so let
my law alone," he added.

Rep. Lance Horbach, R-Tama, who had pushed for a less-stringent Iowa law,
said retailers are just beginning to register complaints from customers.

"I still think we could have had a little bit less convenience issue for
the citizen and still received the same or very close positive results that
we're seeing today," he added.

Ken Carter, director of the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, said
fewer meth labs means drug enforcement officials can spend more time
addressing the problem of meth that comes across Iowa borders. The vast
majority of the meth supply, or about 80 percent, is from outside the state.

"We're very concerned about what's being imported in this state, and now we
can better focus our attentions on that," he said.

Vilsack said the state needs to push forward with other strategies to fight
the meth problem and must continue seeking long-term treatment for meth
addicts.

U.S. Rep. Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, is in favor of allowing states such as Iowa
to keep their strict pseudoephedrine laws.

Nussle, who is running for governor, and U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, have
co-sponsored a bill that, Nussle said, would use Iowa's law as a model for
the nation.

The longtime congressman from Manchester said he is not sympathetic toward
retailers such as Wal-Mart or drug companies that might have complaints
about the law.

"They have to recognize that we're in a struggle, that, whether they like
it or not, they are being used as an outlet for creating this kind of
substance," Nussle said.