WALGREENS ACCUSED OF METH LAW VIOLATION

A Walgreens pharmacy in Enid has become the first drug store in
the state to be accused of violating a state law that limits the sale
of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a primary
ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamine, the Oklahoma
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control said Thursday.

Bureau agents delivered an order to the pharmacy Thursday,
requiring Walgreens officials to appear at a Feb. 23 hearing before
an administrative law judge and show why the store's license to
dispense controlled dangerous substances should not be revoked,
suspended or limited, bureau spokesman Mark Woodward said.

Enid police arrested 19 people Thursday on allegations they
purchased excessive amounts of pseudoephedrine to make
methamphetamine.

A spokesman for the Deerfield, Ill.-based drug store chain said the
company believes the store was in compliance with the law.

"We have the same goal as the state to limit the sale of these
products to only the legitimate amounts," spokesman Michael
Polzin said.

State law enacted in April allows only pharmacies to sell over-the-
counter cold tablets such as Sudafed or Claritin-D that contain
pseudoephedrine. Sales records are to be kept and no more than
nine grams of the ingredient, or about six boxes of cold medicine,
are to be sold to one person during a 30-day period. The law
classified these cold tablets as controlled substances.

Stores are to report people who violate the limit.

The store is accused of selling people more than the nine gram
limit and not reporting those who made the excessive purchases.

Woodward said the limit is more than enough to supply people
with the medicine they need, but well below what would be
required to cook up a batch of meth.

Enid police investigating meth labs checked with all nine
pharmacies in Enid and found more than 100 people who bought
more than the nine gram limit.

"Of those violators, approximately 97 percent obtained their tablets
at this one Walgreens pharmacy," he said.

"In addition, Walgreens failed to report a single violation while the
other eight Enid pharmacies reported 100 percent of the violators
to law enforcement."

Woodward said suspected meth cooks investigated by Enid police
told officers it was well known that they could buy the tablets
containing pseudoephedrine at the Walgreens and they would not
be reported.

Woodward said agents would be checking all of the Walgreens
stores in Oklahoma to check records on pseudoephedrine sales.