STATE OFFICIALS HOPE PSEUDOEPHEDRINE ALTERNATIVE WILL LEAD TO TOUGH LEGISLATION

A new version of Sudafed, formulated to prevent the making of
methamphetamine, will hit store shelves on Jan. 10. But local law
enforcement officials and pharmacists don't know how effective the new drug
will be at stopping the manufacturing of meth because the original form of
the drug will still be available.

Pseudoephedrine, found in original Sudafed, is used in making meth. It will
be replaced with phenylephrine in the new product called Sudafed PE.

Pharmacist Steve Pryor of Lindburg Pharmacy, 909 E. Centennial, said not
much is known about how good of a replacement phenylephrine will be.

"It is not in as nearly as many cough and cold medicines right now as
pseudoephed is," Pryor explained. "I don't know if that's because it is not
as effective or because the manufacture of pseudoephedrine has been doing
such a good job of selling their product."

Pryor said from a pharmacist's standpoint he believes the new formula is
being introduced because Sudafed might be losing sales. Several states,
like Oklahoma, have passed laws making it impossible to buy a lot of
pseudoephedrine products in a short period of time. Several local
pharmacies, like Lindburg, have had to move their Sudafed behind the
counter, making it more difficult for customers to get.

"I think it will be a good alternative and maybe over time it will reduce
the sales of Sudafed and then not as much of it will be stocked," Pryor
said. "But I doubt it will have any big, immediate effect."

Kyle Smith of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said he thinks the new
drug will help law enforcement's fight to change Kansas legislation to that
of Oklahoma's.

"It provides the consumer one more option. One of the concerns that has
been expressed is that by going to just the liquid or gel cap form (which
does not contain pseudoephedrine) there are fewer options for consumers,"
he said. "Now with Pfizer coming out with one of these non-pseudoepherine
forms of Sudafed, I think it will help change the legislation."

Smith has drafted a bill like Oklahoma's that will control how much and how
often consumers can purchase Sudafed and other like products. If the law
were to pass, the buyer would have to show valid photo ID and sign a log to
purchase products with pseudoephedrine or ephedrine - another meth
ingredient. The person would be restricted as to how much they could buy in
a 30-day-period.

Smith said in September he and representatives of the County District
Attorney's Association meet with key Oklahomans that got that state's law
passed. He has worked with several state organizations, state offices, law
enforcement agencies and law makers to draft the bill.

"We were working on this for quite some time," he explained. "I did adapt a
draft with input from all the other people. The bill is now circulating and
we are hoping to get a lot of support before the session even starts."

Smith said Sen. Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, will introduce the bill for
him once the 2005 legislative session opens on Jan. 10. KBI Director Larry
Welch and Superintendent of the Highway Patrol Col. William Seck are
circulating a letter to state senators asking for their support of the bill.

Sen. Jim Barone, D-Frontenac, showed early interest and will co-sponsor the
bill. But he has also voiced concern that a law like this is needed beyond
Kansas. He said the need is regional.

"We continued to play hopscotch," he said. "Missouri got tougher, ran them
to Kansas. Kansas got tougher ran them to Oklahoma. Oklahoma got tougher
and ran them back (to Kansas). In the end I tend to think we are more
moving the problem then we are curing the problem."

Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton echoed Barone's concerns.

"The same thing happened with anhydrous ammonia when they made it illegal
in Missouri to possess anhydrous ammonia in a nonapproved container,"
Horton said. "We were arresting people from Springfield (Mo.) in McCune for
stealing the stuff. The same thing is happening with Oklahoma passing the
law they have in effect now. Where are they (meth manufactures) going? They
are going to Kansas. If Kansas passes the law where are they going to go?
Where ever they can buy this stuff. The true answer to this is change the
ingredients, like the new Sudafed. If not we need to go state by state
changing the law."