BILL SEEKS TO STEM METH PRODUCTION

The tablet form of psuedoephedrine is the one ingredient that's a must
in the recipe for methamphetamine. Now Oklahoma lawmakers are one step
closer to making it a little more difficult for meth makers and users
to get what they need. The Senate Business and Labor Committee voted
Monday in favor of House Bill 2176, which at one time was known as the
Nik Green Act. Green was an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper who was
shot and killed Dec. 26 by a man who allegedly was making meth on the
side of a road in Cotton County.

This sensible legislation, which previously received the approval of
the state House, would make psuedoephedrine tablets a Schedule V
substance that can only be sold at licensed pharmacies. Buyers would
need to show a photo ID and sign for the drug. A person could buy only
9 grams -- 12 boxes -- of the drug during any 30-day period, unless
they had a prescription to purchase more than that.

Law enforcement officials say meth use has grown to epidemic
proportions in Oklahoma. More than 1,200 meth labs were seized in
2002, compared with just 10 in 1994. The number of people in jail or
prison on methamphetamine-related charges continues to climb.

This bill could cause a hardship on rural residents who don't have
nearby drug stores and 24-hour drug stores. It may be an inconvenience
for some. Still, the idea of making a person provide ID to buy
pseudoephedrine tablets -- liquid and gel caps forms aren't affected
- -- seems no more onerous than making proof of ID a requisite for
buying beer and cigarettes.

Skeptics say the law won't do much to stem meth production in
Oklahoma, and that limiting the amount of pseudoephedrine a person can
buy in a month won't deter addicts from getting their hands on
pseudoephedrine. Perhaps they're right. But doing nothing to address
this growing problem would be wrong.