LOOK AT OKLAHOMA LAW IN FIGHTING METH LABS

I am writing to respond to the March 19 Darts and Laurels which discussed
options for fighting methamphetamine labs. Many North Carolinians are
unfamiliar with the horrors of these labs that are beginning to infest our
communities. We busted only nine labs in 1999, but that number escalated to
322 in 2004 and is continuing to rise.

When State Bureau of Investigation agents respond to meth labs, they often
find young, innocent children (124 of them in 2004) who must be removed
from these homes because of exposure to toxic fumes which cause both short-
and long-term illnesses and potential brain damage. These labs cause
violent crime to increase, property values to go down and threaten
communities with fires and explosions.

Pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, found in over-the-counter cold tablets, is
the main ingredient for methamphetamine. For meth manufacturers in North
Carolina, the main source of pseudoephedrine is the everyday retail store.
In Oklahoma, when cold tablets containing pseudoephedrine were put in the
control of pharmacists, the number of meth lab busts fell a dramatic 80
percent.

Law-abiding North Carolinians would continue to have access to a variety of
cold remedies under the proposed law. In Oklahoma, many consumers with
colds switched to pseudoephedrine gel caps or liquid (which would not be
affected by the new law in North Carolina) or made sure they had pills on
hand if a midnight cold strikes. These gel and liquid cold remedies could
remain on grocery and convenience store shelves under the law, while tablet
forms would be placed behind a pharmacy counter.

Attorney General Roy Cooper, and I hope North Carolina, will have the
foresight to trade a minor inconvenience for a major benefit and adopt the
Oklahoma law. It's clear from the results in Oklahoma that we can help
prevent great financial and human toll from meth labs by taking this simple
step.

ROBIN PENDERGRAFT

Director, State Bureau of Investigation