LEGISLATORS SLOW DOWN COLD MEDICINE PROPOSAL

The move to restrict sales of some cold medicines used to make
methamphetamine, a highly addictive illegal drug, hit a speed bump Thursday
when some legislators voiced opposition to the inconvenience the act would
cause. The Meth Lab Prevention Act, discussed in a Senate judiciary
committee Thursday, would move cold and sinus medicine containing
pseudoephedrine behind the pharmacy counter. Pseudoephedrine, a
decongestant, is the critical ingredient in meth manufacturing.

The legislation would require customers purchasing the drugs to show a
valid photo ID and to sign their names.

Some senators say the bill would take cold tablets away from grocery stores
and other outlets without a pharmacist, spoiling the chances of a
late-night medicine run for a runny-nosed child.

Others worry about the inconvenience of having to show a photo ID to obtain
the medicine.

Some pharmacists also said the law would cause inefficiency, forcing them
to perform extra work.

Stephen Gathy, a Chapel Hill pharmacist, said he does not think the
legislation is necessary.

"If over-the-counter medicine is the only source of the problem, I would
support the legislation," he said.

"But there are other sources. The legislation is only going to impede
people who have colds from obtaining the cold medicine they need." Gathy
also said he worries that the legislation would force pharmacists and
officers to do more paperwork.

"Is the state going to hire more people to walk around different stores and
check the paperwork?"

He added that the meth problem in the area is not serious. "How many meth
labs are there within 10 miles of Chapel Hill?" he asked. "And how many
meth labs are there in North Carolina when compared with other states?"
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 322 meth labs were
busted by law enforcement officers in North Carolina in 2004, compared to
1,594 in Tennessee. But North Carolina has seen an increase in meth
production during the past five years - in 1999, it only busted nine labs.
But state Sen. Walter Dalton, a Rutherford County Democrat and primary
sponsor of the bill, said the low detection rate does not mean the problem
is not serious, adding that many officers are not well-trained in detecting
meth production.

Dalton also said he disagrees that the legislation would inconvenience the
average person, since only cold medicines in solid form would be moved
behind the counter.

Those in liquid and gel cap form, which account for 57 percent of the cold
medicines sold, would still be readily accessible, he said. He also said
the process outlined in the bill isn't complicated, either. "All the
customers have to do is to sign their names and show their photo IDs,"
Dalton said.

A similar law moving cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine behind the
counter passed unanimously in the Tennessee legislature earlier this month,
prompting some concern that Tennessee meth labs could migrate across the
border to North Carolina.

Pharmacists record purchasers' addresses and driver's license numbers in
addition to the quantity of medicine customers buy, said Andrew Morris, a
pharmacist at a CVS in Crossville, Tenn. Employees also record their
initials as an extra safeguard.

"It caused some problems, but what we are trying to prevent is a much worse
problem," Morris said, adding that the meth problem in Crossville is the
worst he has ever seen.

The Tennessee bill was passed unanimously in both the state House and
Senate. Dalton said he expects similar support for the final version of the
bill in North Carolina, but he added that there could be debate before the
legislation is finalized.

"When people recognize the magnitude of the problem, they would support the
legislation."