ANTI-METH MEASURES PRAISED

Central Alberta pharmacies are vowing to comply with a provincial college
order to restrict access to cold remedies used to manufacture the deadly
methamphetamine drug.

"These single entity products will be put behind the counter. I want to
make sure the public is safe," said Dev Aggarwal, pharmacist at Red Deer's
West Park IDA Drugs. "We are doing everything in our power to the limit the
use for drug users."

The Alberta College of Pharmacies is asking Alberta's 998 community and
hospital pharmacies to voluntarily place products that contain ephedrine or
pseudoephedrine as a single therapeutic ingredient, such as Sudafed, behind
the prescription counter. As well, pharmacies are being asked to restrict
the sale of all such products to a maximum of 3,600 mg of pseudoephedrine
and 400 mg of ephedrine.

"We are going to comply. Our head office has a plan by the end of the month
for signage, advertising and product placement," said Walter Hackett,
pharmacist at Lacombe Rexall Pharmacy."

The college's directive is being hailed by police forces who view
methamphetamine as a growing social and enforcement problem.

"The problem is fairly significant. It's very dangerous, addictive and easy
to manufacture," said Red Deer city RCMP Insp. Peter Calvert. "The success
rate to manufacture first-timers is high, about 80 per cent."

Calvert said Red Deer Mounties are not seeing a trafficking problem with
the drug, but are seeing "significant" issues with possession.

However, RCMP crime statistics for the first six months of 2004 show five
methamphetamine trafficking arrests, a 150 per cent increase over the same
period of 2003.

While Calvert is praising the college's initiative, he said the federal
government also needs to become proactive by strengthening the Controlled
Drugs and Substances Act to regulate the distribution of ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine -- and get it off the front counters of stores.

"They can't keep burying their heads in the sand," said Calvert. "We have
to put greater penalties on getting caught with this stuff."