METH BILL NOT TOO SEVERE ON LEGAL DRUGS

To the editor:

Your Feb. 11 editorial on the meth bill states that "...in Flagstaff,
under proposed legislation, you couldn't by a box of Sudafed
without,essentially, registering with police."

Not true. Only the medicine sold as tablets would be placed behind the
counter. Gelcaps and liquid would remain on the shelves, readily
available to consumers. These exceptions are made in the bill because
pseudoephedrine in these forms is generally not used to produce meth.

Also, Pfizer is marketing a new "Sudafed PE" that does not include
pseudoephedrine and cannot be used in the production of meth.

The bill tries to balance a relatively small inconvenience with a
potentially large benefit. In Oklahoma, where a similar measure became
law last year, meth lab seizures have dropped nearly 80 percent. It's
no exaggeration to call meth abuse a public health epidemic in Arizona.

This bill will help fight it.

Terry Goddard

Arizona Attorney General