LAW A NECESSARY INCONVENIENCE

Laws dealing with criminal matters are written with the intent to
protect the innocent citizens from the criminal element. Most laws do
this. However, many of the laws do this while at the same time
inconveniencing the very people the laws are written to protect. On
Friday, we will again witness this when a law official comes on the
books to combat the making of methamphetamine.

Last week, on July 8, all stores selling any over-the-counter cold
and allergy medication in which pseudoephedrine is the single active
ingredient was required to be moved from the shelves to the counter.
Before a sale can be made, stores require a picture ID, a signature
and a reporting of the sale to the state Pharmacy Board. In addition,
customers are only be allowed to purchase up to three packages of the
drug every month. And, because of the limited amount of counter space
at pharmacies, the fear is many drug stores will now carry fewer
brands of these cold medications.

Many people in the Mid-Ohio rely on these over-the-counter drugs for
relief from both colds and allergies-a common ailment here, as we all
know. There is no doubt these new regulations will cause some
inconvenience to legitimate users of these products

It is unfortunate that the growth of meth manufacture and use has
caused this inconvenience. However, lawmakers and prosecutors who
have been on the front lines of this battle for several years have
testified this law is necessary. Pseudoephedrine is extracted from
the medication and is the main ingredient in making meth. To get an
idea of the volatility of meth, some of the other chemicals used in
its manufacture are brake cleaner, camping fuel, drain cleaner,
engine starter fluid and gasoline additive. No wonder meth
manufacturing and its use are so dangerous.

The fight against meth has taken many different forms. Stores were
enlisted before and encouraged to report customers who bought huge
amounts of the products needed in its manufacture. This has led to
the breakup of many labs and the arrest of many of the drug's makers.
However, its use is still prolific. And for every step taken by law
enforcement agencies and lawmaking bodies, makers take one also. This
was shown recently in the Mid-Ohio Valley recently when a bust at a
Marietta residence revealed evidence that the occupants of the home
may have been manufacturing meth on Neale Island, part of the
federally-owned Ohio River National Wildlife Refuge. A subsequent
search of the island did revealed many used in its "cooking" process.

That the new law-and its provision that levels an additional felony
charge against makers if their labs cause injury to police offices or
firefighters- will help. As Phil Morrison, executive director of the
West Virginia Prosecuting Attorney's Institute told the Associated
Press: "There are a ton of different things in there that are going
to arm prosecutors a lot better than they have in the past," he said.
"There are all kind of steps that this bill puts into effect that
weren't there before."

Including, unfortunately, the inconvenience of law-abiding citizens.