SINUS MEDS NO LONGER EASY TARGET FOR ABUSERS

Following nationwide efforts to curb the manufacture and abuse of
methamphetamine, Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen has led the effort
to pass legislation controlling the sale of cold medicines used to
manufacture the drug.

As of 10:30 Thursday morning products containing ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine will only be available at drugstores. And in 30 days,
those drugstores will be required to ask for identification when
selling the drug, maintain a log and limit the purchase of any
medication containing ephedrine.

Crystal methamphetamine, also known by the street names meth, crystal,
crank and glass, is manufactured from cold and sinus medicines and
other readily available ingredients like lye, found in drain cleaner,
and red phosphorus used on match strikers.

Thursday, there were empty shelves at Rite-Aid at the corner of Poplar
and Highland where Sudafed and Actifed once sat as an easy target for
shoplifters and meth manufacturers.

"We had already removed most of it prior to the law going into effect
today," said Barry Gaines, a certified pharmacy technician at
Rite-Aid. "So many people were coming in here and stealing it."

Gaines said groups of four or five people would come into the store to
buy up as many ephedrine-rich pills as they could. Then they try to
get more in the pharmacy's drive-thru window.

"We used to limit people to purchasing six packages," Gaines said.
"Then we lowered it to two."

Gaines was never surprised when people came in looking for Sudafed,
Benadryl or Contac.

"Half of the people coming in looking for it, you could tell what they
were using it for," he said. "They had spots on their faces and needle
marks on their arms."

Gaines said he supports the law because crystal meth causes big
problems for drugstores.

At convenience stores on and around The U of M campus, drugs
containing ephedrine were still available on some aisles and behind
the counter at others.

A $1.99 package of generic sinus medicine containing pseudoephedrine
was for sale on an aisle in one off-campus store and various ephedrine
pills were on sale in front of the cash register.

The law which went into effect Thursday will limit the amount of
ephedrine-containing medicine one customer can purchase, and health
care workers will be required to report burns and injuries related to
meth lab explosions.

Though the methamphetamine problem in Shelby County pales in
comparison to problems in more isolated areas in Tennessee, law
enforcement here applaud the governor's efforts.

"The manufacture and use of crystal methamphetamine in the state of
Tennessee has reached epidemic proportions," said Steve Shular, public
information officer for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. "It's
a big problem in eastern Tennessee, but we're seeing more and more
reports in Shelby County and nearby counties like Tipton and
Lauderdale."

The governor is doing an excellent job raising awareness of this
problem in the state and across the country, he said.

In addition the new legislation that moves the medicines behind the
counter and monitors their sale, tougher penalties make even the
smallest possession of the drug a felony offense.

The manufacture of the drug is one of the most dangerous aspects of
the problem.

"Houses where people make methamphetamine become very volatile,"
Shular said, referring to the explosions associated with the process.
The epidemic is affecting innocents as well as abusers and
manufacturers.

"Over 700 children were removed from families in Tennessee last year
because of methamphetamine," Shular said.