MO. LAW TIGHTENS RESTRICTIONS ON POTENTIAL METH INGREDIENTS

ST. LOUIS -- Tighter retail restrictions went into effect Friday in
Missouri for certain products that can be used to make the illegal
drug methamphetamine.

Police and pharmacists said any minor inconvenience for customers
should be offset by reductions in meth production.

"We're at an epidemic. We're overrun with what we call Mom and Pop --
or Beavis and Butthead -- labs," said Franklin County Detective Cpl.
Jason Grellner.

He said meth addicts can feed their own addiction by getting a hold
of common products and mixing a batch of the drug, even in a bathtub.
But their makeshift labs use volatile chemicals and are dangerous for
addicts, family members and police.

The new law aims to curb meth production by better tracking of
certain ingredients. The powder pill forms of medicines containing
ephedrine and pseudoephedrine must be placed behind the pharmacy
counter and sold only by pharmacists and their technicians. Stores
without pharmacists will no longer sell those pills in Missouri.

Customers buying the medicines now must be at least 18, show photo
identification and beginning Sept. 13 they'll have to sign a log that
police can later review. The restrictions do not apply to the gel cap
or liquid forms of the medicines, because they are not easily
transformed into meth.

Missouri has led the nation in meth lab seizures in recent years,
busting more than 2,700 meth labs last year, the Missouri State
Highway Patrol has said.

The state had previously put other controls in place. A 2003 law
required products with pseudoephedrine or ephedrine as the sole
active ingredient to be placed either behind the checkout counter,
within 10 feet and a clear view of the counter or to be tagged with
an electronic anti-theft device. Some large retailers placed their
own additional restriction on sale of the products.

There also are new limits on how much of the products consumers can buy.

The new law limits people to 9 grams a month of any powder pill
medicine containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine. For gel caps and
liquid forms, the 9-gram restriction would apply to each purchase.

Nine grams is equal to 300 tablets of 30 milligram Sudafed, which
typically lasts four hours. That means customers could buy about 12
boxes containing 24 pills each month -- more than enough to take the
maximum dose of the medicine around the clock.

"It's worth a little bit of aggravation, if we can make a big impact
on this meth problem," said Ron Fitzwater, chief executive officer of
the Missouri Pharmacy Association.

Meth bills were SB10 and HB441.

On the Net:

Legislature: http://www.moga.state.mo.us

Governor: http://www.gov.mo.gov

Missouri Pharmacy Association: http://www.morx.com