SUPPORT THE ANTI-METH BILL

Dear Editor,

I would like to alert the public to a bill before our state legislature
that has the potential to make a huge difference in the methamphetamine
problem in our communities. Several versions of a bill are being proposed
that would restrict the purchase of a pseudo-ephedrine, the ingredient in
most over-the-counter cold preparations, that is the base chemical for the
manufacture of methamphetamine.

There are variations on the theme, but these proposals would limit the sale
of pseudo-ephedrine to up to three packages per month. They would require
photo ID of purchasers, and require retailers to keep a log of purchasers
of pseudo-ephedrine based medications. All of the major methods of
methamphetamine manufacture use pseudo-ephedrine as a base chemical.

Oklahoma passed a similar measure almost two years ago, and saw their
methamphetamine lab seizures drop by 80 percent in one year. At that time
it was still possible to get pseudo-ephedrine in neighboring states, and
yet this single state law had a tremendous impact on the level of
methamphetamine manufacture in their state.

These measures do not curtail the importation of methamphetamine from other
states or from Mexico, but they do eliminate the local labs run by deranged
kooks who are high, paranoid and armed to the teeth. Just the environmental
benefit to eliminating these labs and their flood of toxic waste is
justification for these laws.

A pseudo-ephedrine law will not eliminate the methamphetamine addiction
problem, but will raise the price of methamphetamine significantly. If we
can raise the price of methamphetamine to the same level as cocaine, we
will save many lives as people hit bottom sooner, get into legal trouble
sooner and run out of money before they run out of brain cells.

We will also prevent the addiction of many of our youngest teenagers who
cannot afford $100 for a hit of expensive cocaine, but can readily afford
the $12-$20 for a hit of cheap and readily available methamphetamine.

These measures to restrict the availability of pseudo-ephedrine are being
opposed by lobbyists from the retail industry and from the manufacturers of
pseudo-ephedrine containing cold medications. They hold that these bills
unfairly target their industry and that the costs of implementing these
changes are prohibitive. The additional costs are not going to be absorbed
by these industries. They are going to be passed on to us, the consumers.

We all pay the price for the methamphetamine problem in our community. We
can pay for it in abandoned children, violent crime and poisoned ground
water; or we can pay for it in the additional cost of $1-$2 per package of
cold medications.

As the director of Mothers Against Methamphetamine, a 501-C3 corporation, I
am prohibited from the lobbying of government officials. I can, however,
encourage you to write to your state representative and state senator to
express your views. Both Jeff McLaughlin and Frank McDaniel support these
bills, but they need your help.

Our representatives need a flood of letters from you, the public,
supporting these bills. They need to be able to point to a slack of letters
from you and say to the lobbyists, "These are my constituents, and this is
what they want. Get out of my office."

Mary F. Holley, MD

Director

Mothers Against Methamphetamine