BREDESEN COUNTERS MAKERS OF METH

CHATTANOOGA - Gov. Phil Bredesen will ask lawmakers to remove the key
ingredient in methamphetamine from store shelves by putting Sudafed and
some other cold and allergy pills behind pharmacy counters.

Although not yet finished, the package of bills will restrict
pseudoephedrine products, which are commonly used to make the addictive
stimulant, said Bredesen aide Will Pinkston.

"The question is, how many?" Pinkston said. "That is the part that we are
going to be working on down to the wire. We are poring over a lot of
scientific research before making that decision."

Pinkston said he was unsure of a timetable for presenting the bills, which
an administration task force developed last year.

He said the governor's legislation also would close a loophole in a
criminal law that has allowed some people making meth to avoid penalties by
claiming that it is for personal use only.

Pinkston described closing that loophole as the most costly measure in the
package, with a $2.5 million price tag annually for longer jail sentences.

Tennessee Retail Association lobbyist Russell Palk said he was not
surprised by Bredesen's proposal to restrict sales of some products
containing pseudoephedrine.

"Retailers are ready to abide by that," Palk said.

Oklahoma has successfully curtailed meth-making with such a law, and Pfizer
Inc. next month plans to start selling an alternative decongestant that
does not contain pseudoephedrine.

Palk said his members were opposed to restricting pseudoephedrine products
not commonly used to make meth. And he says the law will create problems
for pharmacists.

"When you ask us to put 200 or 300 products behind the counter in an
already crowded pharmacy, we have a logistics problem," Palk said.

Meth can be cooked using a number of ingredients, including pseudoephedrine
cold tablets, red phosphorous from matchbook strike plates and sulfuric
acid from drain cleaner.

Tennessee is among 14 states picked by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services to receive grants for expanded drug-abuse treatment, and
Bredesen has said that part of the $17.8 million will be used for meth addicts.

There are restrictions on how the money can be used.

"Right now the treatment issue is the most complex to deal with," Pinkston
said. "It is real expensive. There is lots of disagreement in general about
how best to approach methamphetamine addiction."

Pinkston said the governor's package also would include a measure to create
a statewide registry of properties contaminated by meth-making operations.

The clandestine labs are considered hazardous waste, and federal
environmental officials have said they don't typically monitor them after
an initial cleanup. State agencies have no rules for follow-up inspections
to make sure properties are safe for future occupants.