METH CRACKDOWN SIGNED INTO LAW

SPRINGFIELD -- Drug stores will have to start locking up common cold
medicines that contain chemicals used to make methamphetamine and
limiting sales of those medicines to two at a time under a bill Gov.
Blagojevich signed Tuesday.

The new law, initiated by Attorney General Lisa Madigan, also requires
that the medicines themselves contain no more than three grams of
ingredients used in meth production.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, as does another that Blagojevich signed
Tuesday to give ex-convicts access to drug-treatment programs while on
parole.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug and its use is spreading
across Illinois, Madigan said. It also contains extremely flammable
ingredients, and deadly explosions during its illicit production are
not uncommon.

The Illinois State Police discovered 971 meth labs in 2003, up from
403 in 2000. Federal officials uncovered an additional 128 Illinois
meth labs last year.

"Methamphetamine is not just a problem; it's a plague," Madigan
said. "We must fight its production and use every resource available.
This law takes an important new step in cutting off the source of
meth-makers' ingredients for their deadly recipe."

Under the new law, retailers must place over-the-counter drugs
preferred by meth-producers -- such as cold tablets containing
ephedrine or pseudoephedrine -- in locked cabinets or behind store
counters. They may sell no more than two packages at a time, and the
medicine must be in "blister packs."