LEGISLATION TO HELP SLOW METH LABS

House Bill 2176 by Rep. John Nance and Sen. Dick Wilkerson has been
introduced in the Legislature, seeking to slow the exponential growth of
methamphetamine laboratories in Oklahoma. We at the Oklahoma Bureau of
Narcotics are asking Oklahomans to support this legislation and to please
shoulder the minor inconveniences it may cause by restricting sales of some
pseudoephedrine products.

This bill does not ban pseudoephedrine products, and indeed it doesn't
even apply to most pseudoephedrine products. It applies only to tablet
form, and then only restricts sales to the responsible and accountable
hands of pharmacists. Gel caps and liquid preparations are unaffected
and may still be sold in any store anywhere. Anyone needing these very
useful medicines on a moment's notice need only sacrifice by using gel
caps until they can get to a pharmacy, and in so doing will likely
help more in battling the spread of this evil drug than can be imagined.

Large and rich pharmaceutical companies have already begun to lobby
against this bill. Their state isn't being corrupted and corroded by
this terrible drug scourge. I ask that you phone your legislators to
support them in resisting these powerful influences.

Scott Rowland

Oklahoma City

Rowland is the agency's general counsel.