PLAN TARGETS COLD MEDS IN METH LAB CRACKDOWN

People who buy most over-the-counter cold medications would have to
show identification and sign a registry under a proposal aimed at
cracking down on methamphetamine labs.

Rep. Richard Decker, R-Colorado Springs, presented a bill to the state
House Health and Environment Committee on Monday that also would
prevent Colorado customers from buying more than 6 grams of ephedrine,
phenylpropanolamine or pseudoephedrine. That amounts to about two
packages of most cold, sinus or allergy medicines.

Meth "cooks" grind up the medications and soak them in alcohol to
extract the active ingredients. According to the Drug Enforcement
Administration, one case of pseudoephedrine can produce 1 pound of
methamphetamine with a street value of $16,000. In Colorado, 99
percent of meth labs use pseudoephedrine.

"We're supporting anything that helps us reduce the manufacturing, and
one way to do that is to eliminate the availability of any of the
precursors to manufacturing," said Lt. Lori Moriarty of the North
Metro Task Force, a drug task force.

Decker said the small invasion of privacy will help save lives,
including those of children inhaling the fumes in homes that have been
turned into illegal drug labs.

"Nobody who wants to protect the life of a young child is going to
resent having to show an ID," he said.

Seven other states already have similar laws, and at least four are
discussing regulation. Several national retailers electively limit the
sale of cold and allergy medicines.

Critics say the regulation is un-necessarily tough on legitimate
consumers.

The Colorado Retail Council said HB 1179 makes buying cold medications
inconvenient for families, who may need to buy multiple brands and
doses of medicines.

"We are actively and adamantly opposed to this," council President
Joann Groff said. "We don't support intimidating our true customer who
has every right to purchase this drug."

A Pfizer executive said the pharmaceutical giant supports criminal
prosecution for possession of ephedrine, not regulation at the retail
point of sale.

"We feel the burden is then placed on the consumer and retailer, and
you end up having a retail clerk as policeman," said Linda Pryor,
director of state programs. Pfizer makes Sudafed, a leading cold medicine.

Since March 2000, Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco Wholesale Corp. has
limited customers to buying one pseudoephedrine product.

In mid-January, Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Inc., with 219 grocery
stores in seven states, limited customers to two pseudoephedrine products.

Methamphetamine by the numbers

$16,000: Estimated street value of 1 pound of methamphetamine

99%: Approximate portion of meth labs in Colorado that use
pseudoephedrine, an active ingredient in most over-the-counter cold
medicines

The Associated Press contributed to this report.