IOWA HAS COMPANY IN THE WAR ON METH

DES MOINES - Iowa stands on the brink of enacting the nation's toughest
limits on the sale of popular cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine - a
critical ingredient in making the illegal narcotic methamphetamine.

But it does not stand alone, especially in the meth-ravaged Midwest.

Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin are poised to allow only pharmacies to
sell most cold, flu and allergy remedies containing pseudoephedrine.
Nebraska is mulling a bill that would require retailers to put such
products under lock and key.

South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds already has signed a bill requiring that
pseudoephedrine products be placed behind the counter while limiting the
amount consumers can purchase.

Among Iowa's neighbors, only Illinois is bucking the trend toward tougher
restrictions. A bill that would have tightened the state's pseudoephedrine
laws failed to clear a Senate committee during the past week, leaving its
future in doubt.

Gov. Tom Vilsack is expected to sign Iowa's bill Tuesday. It would allow
only pharmacies to sell cold, flu and allergy remedies containing the solid
tablet form of pseudoephedrine while permitting other retailers to sell
smaller doses of liquid and gel-capsule medications.

Iowa consumers would be required to show identification and sign a log book
before buying the popular nasal decongestant. They also would be barred
from buying more than 7,500 milligrams in a single month without a
prescription.

Lawmakers say no other state has approved limits as stringent as Iowa's.

Blake Harrison, who tracks criminal justice issues for the National
Conference of State Legislatures, said at least 20 states are considering
pseudoephedrine restrictions. Each is hoping to keep the drug out of the
hands of meth makers who need it to make the highly addictive stimulant.

"There's definitely quite a lot of interest," he said. "We expect to see
quite a bit of action this year."

Illinois may be an exception.

Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, backs legislation that would put
pseudoephedrine behind the pharmacy counter in his state. But he failed to
convince the Judiciary Committee to debate the measure, even after he
agreed to soften the pharmacy requirement.

He said retailers convinced lawmakers the limits would be bad for business.

"If Missouri and Kentucky and Iowa and Indiana eventually adopt some form
of this legislation and Illinois doesn't do anything, then we can look
forward to these people coming into our state and buying this stuff," he
said. "And a good number of those who come here to buy it are going to stay
here to cook it. It's a matter of self-preservation at some point."

Illinois law limits consumers to buying two packages of medicine containing
pseudoephedrine as a primary active ingredient while also placing the drug
behind the counter. Iowa approved a similar law last year, but officials
say it did little to stop meth cookers.

Despite the law, Iowa seized a record 1,427 meth labs during 2004. The
Illinois State Police reported 959 such labs.

Missouri leads the nation in meth lab seizures. Lawmakers there are
expected to approve a bill that would allow only pharmacies to sell solid
pseudoephedrine. Purchases would be limited to 9,000 milligrams per month.

"Missouri and all of its surrounding states represent about 54 percent of
the meth lab production in the United States," said Rep. Bob Behnen,
R-Kirksville, where meth cookers burned down a motel. "Even if we cut our
production by 50 percent, we would still lead the nation. It's an epidemic."

The Minnesota Senate voted 67-0 in favor of similar restrictions that would
put solid pseudoephedrine behind the pharmacy counter while limiting
consumers to two packages per month. Wisconsin is hoping to duplicate
Minnesota's statute.

"Whoever's got the weaker law, they start border-hopping," said Kevin
Moore, an aide to Wisconsin Rep. Kitty Rhoades. "We're just trying to keep
up with the Joneses."

Nebraska considered a pharmacy-only bill, but it backed away in recent
weeks. The current legislation would require retailers to put all
pseudoephedrine products under lock and key while prohibiting anyone
younger than 19 years from selling the drug. Only those 18 and older would
be allowed to buy it.

"If something's going to pass, it's not going to be any stricter than
this," said Jeff Beaty, legal counsel for the Nebraska Senate Judiciary
Committee. "There hasn't been a lot of debate on the border-bleed issue. I
do think it's a possibility."

South Dakota is enacting legislation that would require cold medications to
be placed behind the counter or in locked cases, with liquid and
gel-capsules exempted.