METH-LAB BILL STILL NEEDS APPROVAL

As the state Legislature nears adjournment, a vital measure that would
attack Arizona's No. 1 crime problem still needs approval.

Senate Bill 1473 follows a proven strategy to cut methamphetamine
production and use. It is patterned after a law enacted last year in
Oklahoma, which is responsible for an 80 percent reduction in meth lab
seizures. Because of the law's dramatic success, at least six other
states - Montana, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee -
have passed similar bills this year, most by unanimous votes.

The bill would require decongestant tablets containing
pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in making meth, to be placed
behind pharmacy counters. Significantly, Target Corp. announced
recently it will voluntarily move these drugs behind pharmacy counters
in its stores nationwide.

Arizona's bill would also require buyers of tablets to sign a log and
show a photo ID. Opponents have said the log would be ineffective and
lead to identity theft. Neither claim is true. In Oklahoma, the log
requirement is cited as a prime reason why the law is working, and law
enforcement has seen no increase in identity theft.

Arizona leads the nation in meth use among children 12 to 17. In
addition to the thousands of lives it has ruined, meth is closely
associated with a long list of other serious crimes.

This bill is a common sense way to reduce illegal meth labs in our
state. Please let your legislators know of your support.

Tom O'Halleran, Sedona - Terry Goddard, Phoenix

O'Halleran, a Republican, is a state representative from Sedona. Goddard, a
Democrat, is Arizona's attorney general.