A GOOD MOVE AGAINST DRUGS

Strict controls would be placed on the sale of a dangerous drug if
the N.C. General Assembly passes a bill that one of its committees
approved Tuesday.

We Need Strict Controls

Decongestant pills containing pseudoephedrine offer amateur druggies
an easy way to get a key ingredient in methamphetamine, a nasty
concoction they can cook up in their kitchens.

The state Senate already passed a bill modeled on an Oklahoma law
that apparently works well.

The House version toughens that approach -- for example, requiring
video surveillance of buyers. Spy cameras sound like overkill, but
other restrictions couldn't hurt.

Some retailers and rural legislators are trying to weaken or block
efforts to control pseudoephedrine, and for awhile there it looked as
if they might succeed.

They still might. But they shouldn't.