INDIANA MUST BE PROACTIVE IN CURBING METH USE

The Issue: Methamphetamine Abuse

Legislators should be receptive to new laws similar to those in
Illinois that regulate cold medicine.

The illegal use of meth is not pervasive in Lake or Porter counties --
yet. That does not mean, however, that methamphetamine abuse can't
happen here or that meth labs can't spring up.

So, Indiana legislators would be wise to be proactive and take steps
to control and contain the situation before meth use becomes a
problem, not just in Northwest Indiana, but throughout the state as
well.

The Meth Abuse Task Force last week conducted the last of three
hearings on the situation in Starke County, where law enforcement
officials have seen an increase in the use of meth. The task force
will make recommendations to state legislators on Oct. 31.

The task force should consider what Illinois has been doing since Jan.
1. Thanks to a new law, retailers must keep over-the-counter drugs
preferred by meth producers, such as cold tablets containing ephedrine
or pseudoephedrine, in locked cabinets or behind store counters.
Retailers can sell no more than two package at a time, and the
medicine must be in so-called blister packs.

That makes sense. After all, many products now are kept behind the
counters as a matter of public safety and so the wrong products do not
get in the hands of juveniles. For example, cigarettes and lighters
are behind the counter in many large supermarkets and buyers are asked
their birth date before selling them.

In Indiana, store owners can alert law enforcement if someone buys an
overabundance of ephedrine. But that is voluntary, as is where the
products are kept.

State Police Superintendent Melvin Carraway said the task force is
receptive to new laws similar to the one regulating cold medicine in
Illinois. The task force also favors educating the public on what meth
is, how it is made and what signs to look for if meth use is suspected.

Local law enforcement officials had been bracing for an explosion of
the use of meth, but so far are relieved that illegal meth labs or the
use of the substance have not invaded.

That does not mean, however, that Indiana should not be prepared to
protect its communities.

After all, that task force hearing was held in Starke County, where
meth use is on the rise. And Starke County is just south of LaPorte
County, which is east of Porter County.

Take steps now to control methamphetamine abuse.

Your opinion, please

Should there be stricter controls to control methamphetamine
abuse?

Share your thoughts at www.nwitimes.com/youropinion.