A REMEDY FOR METH EPIDEMIC

The fight against methamphetamines received a major boost recently
when four of the United States' largest food and drug retailers
decided to put certain cold medicines behind the pharmacy counter.

We applaud the recent moves by Target, Wal-Mart, Albertson's, Longs
Drugs and Rite Aid to make medicines containing pseudoephedrine less
accessible. But they will not by themselves shut down the thousands of
meth labs that have sprung up across the country. That's why it is
critical that all retailers be required to limit access to cold
medicines containing this ingredient.

Why is this so important? Because pseudoephedrine -- the active
ingredient in most cold medicines -- is being used to brew up batches
of meth in basements, cars and motel rooms across the country. The
fact that it's relatively easy to make meth is one of the reasons the
drug has migrated from California and the West to the rest of the nation.

Meth is cheap, accessible and potent. It can be purchased for as
little as $20 a dose. Its effects on users range from the bizarre to
the homicidal. And cooking meth is often as simple as a trip to the
local store.

Those seeking to make it have up to this point been free to purchase
all the pseudoephedrine they need, easily and without scrutiny. One of
our staff members recently went to a local grocery store to purchase a
large quantity of cold medicine for use in a news conference. He
bought 27 boxes of cold medicine, and no one batted an eye.

This scene is being repeated in communities throughout the United
States. Meth cooks will buy out a store's supply of cold medicine.
They will go from store to store to store and buy as much of it as
they can afford. Then they go home, extract the pseudoephedrine, mix
it with battery acid and other poisons, and cook up a batch of meth
for sale or for their personal use.

So what can we do to solve this problem?

The answer is clear: Follow the Oklahoma model. Oklahoma last year
passed legislation requiring that cold medicines containing
pseudoephedrine be moved behind the pharmacy counter. The result: an
80 percent drop in the number of meth labs seized. This law works. We
should copy it.

Twelve states have done just that. Tennessee and Iowa, for example,
have passed new laws in the past few months mandating that cold
medicines containing pseudoephedrine be put behind the counter.
Another 30 states are considering similar legislation.

But new state laws and the voluntary actions of retailers are not
enough. That's why we're working together to make the Oklahoma law
national. Our legislation would:

. Move cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter.

. Limit the amount one person can buy to 9 grams a month -- that's the equivalent of 300 30-milligram pills.

. Require purchasers to show identification and to sign for cold medication.

These are not overly burdensome provisions. Anyone who legitimately
wants cold medicine will be able to buy more than enough to meet his
or her needs. But it will put up barriers to stop meth cooks. It will
deter them from making large quantities of meth. And it will increase
their risk of being caught by the authorities.

Will this completely stop meth? The answer is, unfortunately, no.
Those who seek to use meth will undoubtedly find ways to continue to
acquire the drug. But it will shut down many of the labs operating
across the nation, potentially increasing the street price for meth
and allowing law enforcement to focus on other aspects of the problem.

There is no question that this nation needs a far-reaching strategy on
meth. We need to reduce demand for this drug by educating Americans
about its dangers. We need to find ways to break meth addiction. And
we need more funding for enforcement and prosecution, especially in
high-activity areas. But what has become clear is that a comprehensive
effort to move cold medicine behind the counter must be an integral
part of any effort to bring this epidemic under control.