METH LAB ACT PICKS UP SUPPORT

The Meth Lab Prevention Act is gaining support in the General Assembly. The
Senate has approved the bill, and House approval seems certain.

The main facet of the bill is the controlled sale of over-the-counter
medications containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, the main ingredients
in the illegal drug methamphetamine.

We understand the gravity of the meth problem in North Carolina. It's a
two-bladed dagger - the manufacture and use - that is increasingly popular.

But we're still not convinced that restricting common cold and allergy
medicines to behind-the-counter pharmacy sales and requiring photo
identification to buy are as important as drying up the market for meth.

Anti-drug programs, tougher penalties for making and selling meth and
informing parents about the signs of meth use seem to be better ways to
achieve the goal.

Attorney General Roy Cooper is the architect of the Meth Lab Prevention
Act, and he's to be commended for vigorously trying to disrupt the meth
trade and illegal drug use. He's got the Senate on board and probably the
House. And, we admit there is evidence that the measures endorsed by Cooper
and the Senate work in reducing the number of meth labs.

A similar law in Oklahoma has drastically cut the number of meth labs.
There is insufficient evidence, however, to prove restricting cold pills
results in a decline in the meth-user market. We dislike the idea of
penalizing legitimate products and the people who depend on them because
dopeheads have a yen for meth. Eliminate the yen, and the labs become moot.

Too, Cooper wants the General Assembly to fund 13 more SBI agents to bust
meth labs. That's an approach we can support.

But we must do more than make it hard on those who run meth labs. We've
made life extremely difficult for heroin and cocaine kingpins, but the
demand for their products remains high - and they're still making tons of money.