BAYH: U.S. LAW WOULD FIGHT METH

Sales Of Cold Drugs Would Be Restricted

INDIANAPOLIS -- A federal law requiring nonprescription cold medicines to
be kept behind pharmacy counters would be a major step toward fighting the
spread of methamphetamine, Sen. Evan Bayh said yesterday. Bayh is among a
dozen Republican and Democratic senators who have backed a proposal for
tighter handling of medicines that contain pseudoephedrine, a principal
ingredient in meth.

Consumers would have to talk to a pharmacy worker and show photo ID before
buying Sudafed, Tylenol flu medicine or other popular remedies.

"It is deeply troubling to me to see how quickly this has spread," said
Bayh, D-Ind. "A more aggressive, more comprehensive approach needs to be
adopted."

Indiana authorities dismantled 1,549 meth labs last year, an increase of
nearly 25 percent from 2003, according to state police figures.

Bayh said the federal measure was modeled after an Oklahoma law, which
authorities there say has helped drive down meth-lab seizures by more than
80 percent. Similar legislation is pending in the Indiana General Assembly.

The federal proposal would require people buying cold medicine to show ID
and sign for the product and limit the amount that each person could buy.

Opponents, including pharmacy groups, argue such a law would create
barriers for regular customers in need of cold medication and take
pharmacists away from more important responsibilities.

Bayh, however, said he did not believe the extra monitoring of
pseudoephedrine would be burdensome when compared with the problems meth is
causing in many communities.

"Your ordinary, law-abiding citizen isn't going to object," he said.