SAFETY AGENCIES BACK METH BILL

Measure Puts Limit On Cold-Pill Sales

RALEIGH, N.C. - Sheriffs and an injured firefighter urged lawmakers
Thursday to pass a bill that would restrict the sales of popular cold
medicines that are used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

They joined Attorney General Roy Cooper and two senators who introduced a
measure that would require cold tablets containing pseudoephedrine and
ephedrine to be sold from behind a pharmacist's counter. The two compounds
are key ingredients used by illegal drug-makers who "cook" meth.

The legislation also would require consumers to provide a photo
identification and would limit the number of cold tablets they could
purchase in a month.

The restrictions would not apply to liquid or gel capsules that contain the
targeted ingredients, as they are too difficult for most meth-makers to
extract in these forms.

"This is a small inconvenience for a great benefit," Cooper said at a news
conference at the Legislative Building. "It will help protect the children
of North Carolina."

The number of clandestine drug labs busted by law enforcement has soared
over the past five years from nine a year to 322 in 2004. Cooper said the
state is projected to break up 500 to 700 labs this year.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that began spreading in the
western United States in the early 1990s and has slowly moved east,
reaching North Carolina in the early years of this decade.

Meth manufacturers often make the drug in their homes, endangering
surrounding areas with toxic fumes and the volatility of the cooking process.

At Cooper's urging, the legislature approved laws last year that toughened
penalties for people who make the drug.

Thursday's proposal, which is modeled after a law passed in Oklahoma, would
curb the production further, supporters said. Oklahoma law enforcement
credits the sales restrictions to an 80 percent decline in meth lab
seizures in some parts of the state.

"Without the ephedrine, you don't have methamphetamine," said Mark Shook,
the sheriff in Watauga County, where more than 30 lab busts were reported
last year.

Watauga County firefighter Darien South lost about half of his lung
capacity in 2003 while responding to a fire at a house where a meth lab was
located. He also lost some of his eyesight and suffered severe headaches.
Passing tougher penalties last year was an important battle in getting rid
of meth in North Carolina, South said.

The new bill "will lead us to victory," he said.

The N.C. Retail Merchants Association, which opposes the proposed
restrictions, has floated a compromise to restrict sales.

Cold products with the highest amounts of pseudoephedrine would be kept
behind the counter, where cigarettes, infant formula and similar items
usually are stored. Retailers also would place a mandatory three-pack limit
on all purchases of products containing pseudoephedrine.

Cooper urged retailers to look at the successes in Oklahoma before passing
judgment on his restrictions.

"People are being able to cure their colds. Pharmacists have been able to
handle this. It's not been that big a problem," Cooper said. "But the
benefits have been so great."

The bill, filed by Sens. Walter Dalton, D-Rutherfordton, and John Snow,
D-Murphy, also seeks $836,000 to hire 13 State Bureau of Investigation
chemists and agents and asks for tougher penalties against people who make
meth in apartment complexes.