CITY'S METH LAW WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME IN FIGHTING THE DRUG: TERRY

Cookeville was ahead of its time and a leader in getting the new state law
against meth passed, and that's something to be proud of, Police Chief Bob
Terry said today.

As the new law went into effect restricting the sale of some of the common
medications containing meth ingredients, Chief Terry today sent Lt. Pat
Sealy out to visit all Cookeville stores where such products are sold to
acquaint the merchants with the new rules.

Chief Terry and other officers were also expressing appreciation for the
new law and saying it gives them hope that the effect here will be the same
as it has been in Oklahoma: a drastic reduction in the meth lab problem.

Chief Terry said he believes it was Cookeville's own city ordinance on meth
ingredients, passed two years ago, which "set the ball rolling" toward the
awareness which has resulted in the new state law.

"This meth problem started here a few years ago and grew worse to the point
that it's a plague, and to Cookeville's credit, we had leaders here who
recognized that something had to be done," said Terry, who first began
warning the public about the meth problem several years ago when he headed
the 13th District Drug Task Force.

But it was several other community leaders Terry was talking about today
for their efforts to fight the meth problem.

He named several leaders here who took the problem very seriously and
worked hard to find solutions: Cookeville Councilman Ricky Shelton,
physician Dr. Sullivan Smith, District Attorney Bill Gibson, Judge Lillie
Ann Sells, Senator Charlotte Burks.

"Of course, there have also been many others, but these are just some
people I think of right off who were always there trying to do something
about the meth problem, always working to make the public more aware and
trying to get laws that could help," Terry said.

"The Cookeville council can be proud that all the way back in 2003 they
passed a city ordinance trying to restrict or at least manage these things
that people were buying in large quantities to make meth.

"I remember it was Councilman Shelton who first brought it up in a meeting
- -- he just asked why we couldn't pass an ordinance against this stuff. I
remember thinking at the time that it probably wouldn't do any good.

"But it did. Before that ordinance, nobody was really doing anything in the
way of passing laws. But after that, other people began to ask the same
thing he had asked. And others started working toward getting a stronger
state law."

Under that city ordinance, Cookeville merchants are required to keep
records of who buys large quantities of certain over-the-counter
medications that are commonly used in cooking meth.

"I think it is true that Cookeville's ordinance was the first in the state
and that a lot of the new state law has been modeled on it," Capt. Nathan
Honeycutt said today.

How did the ordinance work?

"The merchants kept these 'meth watch' cards on people who bought this
stuff, and after a while, the word out there on the street was that if you
wanted this stuff, you shouldn't try buying it in Cookeville," said Lt.
Sealy, who has overseen the effort to track such purchases and "watch"
where they led.

"We want to stress too that the city ordinance is still in effect, though
the new state law will now prohibit stores without pharmacies from selling
these common medications that meth cookers used," Capt. Honeycutt said.

Under the new law, pharmacies can still sell the medicines, and in those
businesses, the city ordinance and the new law apply.

"But what we're doing right now is sending Lt. Sealy around to talk to
merchants about the whole issue as we go through the transition and get
ready to enforce the new law," Honeycutt said.

Among the medications that are included in the new restrictions are
decongestants and sinus remedies, including such brands as Sudafed,
Drixoryl, and some Tylenol Sinus products, Honeycutt said.

"We want every merchant to know we will be enforcing this new law and
continuing to enforce the city ordinance where applicable," Capt. Honeycutt
said.

"But we are committed to good public relations and education and our goal
is voluntary compliance. I think we'll reach that goal."