METH BILL COMPROMISE WOULD PULL PILLS OFF THE SHELF

PHOENIX -- Hoping to save her legislation to curb methamphetamine
manufacture, a Paradise Valley Republican has agreed to restrictions on how
one of its ingredients can be sold.

The offer by Sen. Barbara Leff would take pseudoephedrine pills off the
shelves of supermarkets, drug stores and convenience stores. Instead, these
would have to be stored either behind a counter or under lock and key, and
would have to be dispensed by a store clerk.

That is a key concession from Leff who, until now, has opposed any
restriction on sales.

But Leff's offer is unacceptable to both Rep. Tom O'Halleran, R-Sedona, and
Attorney General Terry Goddard. They said her proposal still lacks a key
provision to keep criminals from going from store to store to stock up on
pills.

The stalemate raises the possibility lawmakers could end the session this
week with no new restrictions on the sales of the drugs used to make
methamphetamines.

Both House and Senate versions would let customers buy no more than 9 grams
of pseudoephedrine -- about 150 doses -- about a third of what is now
permitted. That chemical, a key ingredient in many decongestants like
Sudafed and its generic equivalents, also is necessary for "cooking"
methamphetamines.

But O'Halleran and Goddard want that 9 gram limit to be a monthly cap. To
enforce that, buyers would have to present identification to a pharmacist
and sign a log book which would be available to police officers.

Leff called that unnecessary and ineffective.

"They're going to use fake IDs," she said. "No one will ever be able to
track them."

She also said that doesn't help people who need decongestants at
convenience stores and even airport shops where there are no pharmacists.

O'Halleran said he's willing to let these stores sell a single small box of
medicine containing pseudoephedrine with no ID requirement. But sales of
larger amounts would be limited to pharmacies, with buyers having to sign
the log book.

- -- Capitol Media Services