STORES LIMIT ACCESS TO COLD MEDS

Making methamphetamine is much harder now than it was a
year ago. As Columbia stores come into compliance with a new state law
restricting sales of a key meth ingredient, cookers of the illicit
drug are no longer able to easily stockpile the supplies they need.

Hy-Vee is the latest store to limit customer access to
over-the-counter cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, one of the
main ingredients in meth.

Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant found in Sudafed tablets, Dimetapp
Extentabs, Drixoral 12-Hour Cold Tablets and dozens of other cold,
allergy and sinus remedies. Tablets or capsules containing 30
milligrams or more of pseudoephedrine are now located behind the
Hy-Vee pharmacy counter.

Ken Kreigh, supervisor of the Boone County Sheriff's Department's drug
enforcement unit, said those products are most favored among meth
manufacturers, who must obtain several hundred cold pills to produce
one gram of the drug.

"They used to be able to buy cases of pills," he said. "But now a lot
of stores have been educated about this. It's not easy anymore to get
the large quantity of pills that they need."

Missouri's law restricting the sales of pseudoephedrine went into
effect Aug. 28. Senate Bill 442 requires cold and allergy medicines be
sold behind the pharmacy counter or within 10 feet of a clerk.

Sen. Anita Yeckel, R-St. Louis, sponsored the legislation, which also
set a two-package, or six-gram, limit on medicines containing
pseudoephedrine. Missouri previously had a three-package, or nine-gram
limit.

Sen. Ken Jacob, D-Columbia, opposed the two-package restriction,
saying it was inconvenient for sick people and unfair to businesses.

"This has gone way too far," Jacob said in May. "There's got to be a
better strategy to stop methamphetamine production."

Hy-Vee customers who want to purchase the drugs must ask a pharmacist
for them. If there is no pharmacist on duty, the medicine must be
obtained from the customer service desk. Sales are limited to two
packages a visit, and customers must sign a log documenting their purchase.

Tom Klucking, Columbia Hy-Vee store director, said he has received no
customer complaints as a result of the recent restrictions.

"They understand the obvious concern," he said. "We still have those
drugs available for customers who need them for legitimate medical
reasons."

Hy-Vee Chairman Ron Pearson stated in a press release that the company
tried to "balance customer convenience with crime prevention."

Hy-Vee is not the only local store to restrict the sale of
over-the-counter cold medicines. Wal-Mart keeps the drugs within 10
feet of the pharmacy counter. Walgreens and Gerbes keep the drugs
behind the counter. While the stores enforce the two-package limit,
they do not require customers to sign a log. Kreigh, whose drug
enforcement unit busted 18 Boone County meth labs in 2003, said the
store restrictions have proven helpful in the fight to control the
drug. In 2002, the drug enforcement unit had 12 meth lab busts.

"We've put out information to stores about what a suspected meth cook
would be purchasing," he said. "A number of arrests in the past couple
of years have been made because of our partnership with local
merchants in reporting suspicious activity."

In addition to pharmacies, law enforcement officers have also educated
hardware stores, which sell acids and solvents used in meth
production. Drug investigators also routinely monitor areas where
anhydrous ammonia is stored. Used by farmers to fertilize fields,
anhydrous ammonia is the most difficult meth ingredient for cooks to
obtain, Kreigh said.

State and federal figures show that one out of every six meth labs in
the United States was found in Missouri in 2002, making Missouri No. 1
in the nation for meth busts. Police statewide reported 2,725 raids
and seizures in 2002. Numbers for numbers are expected to be released
sometime in March.

Last year, the federal government gave Missouri law enforcement
agencies $3 million in grants to help battle meth production.