DANGER FROM METH CAN'T BE IGNORED

The Indiana House Courts and Criminal Code Committee voted unanimously
this past week to send House Bill 1223 to the full House for
consideration.

The proposal, pushed by Rep. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, is designed to
transfer medicine made from ephedrine and pseudoephedrine off the
shelves to behind the counter.

Koch was working on the bill long before a 10-year old Crothersville
girl was allegedly killed to secure the secrecy of a drug lab.

Methamphetamines, also known as meth, crank, glass, speed, crystal,
ice or chalk, are synthetic amphetamines or stimulants produced and
peddled illegally in capsules, powder, pills or chunks.

Meth gained its popularity in the West and was sold primarily by
motorcycle gangs. But the simplicity of manufacturing the drug and the
enticing profit margin gradually shoved it eastward.

According to an Indiana State Police report, authorities took down
1,549 meth labs in 2004, an increase of 25 percent over the previous
year.

Not only has meth destroyed lives, it has pushed prisons to capacity
and flooded local court systems.

While many states have focused on stiffening laws for possession and
production, Oklahoma has cracked down on sales. That state's lawmakers
enacted a statute requiring customers to show identification and
register before purchasing medicine containing pseudoephedrine.

The results have been encouraging.

Koch, who spearheaded the creation of a meth task force in Indiana, is
hoping House Bill 1223 can provide a similar impact.

According to U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, the meth industry costs Hoosiers
more than $100 million a year. Bayh is supporting the federal Combat
Meth Act, which is designed to terminate easy access to meth
ingredients and provide assistance to enforcement agencies and
communities forced to cope with costs associated with meth prevention
and rehabilitation.

Regulating the volume of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine sold to
consumers is only one of a number of positive steps necessary to
alleviate the problem. The battle with meth can't be won in
Indianapolis and Washington D.C. alone. It requires a community
effort. Children must be alerted to the dangers of the drug, and
citizens must be vigilant in overseeing the safety of their
communities.

Information provided by observant Hoosiers has played an instrumental
role in shutting down meth labs across the state, and law enforcement
officials encourage citizens to report any suspicious activity that
could be related to the manufacturing, sale or possession of the drug.

The popularity and proliferation of meth throughout Indiana is too
dangerous, too expensive to ignore.