BRADY WANTS LAW TARGETING METH MAKERS

BLOOMINGTON -- Methamphetamine labs are a scourge for many Illinois
communities, so Rep. Dan Brady is planning a statewide attack to root
out the problem.

The Bloomington Republican will introduce a bill this spring that
would restrict the number of over-the-counter ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine products that can be bought and sold.

Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products -- typically used to fight a
cold or stuffy nose -- are invaluable ingredients to those who cook
meth, an illegal and powerful nervous-system stimulant.

The number of reported meth labs in Illinois increased from 87 in 1998
to 666 in 2001, according to Illinois State Police. Statistics for
2002 weren't available.

Labs have been found in Bloomington-Normal and surrounding areas in
recent years.

"Meth is cropping up all over the state and continues to be an ongoing
problem," Brady said.

"Hopefully this will be an initiative that is truly going to be
effective in combating the problem."

Last fall, Bloomington-Normal police and legal officials met with area
retailers and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Consumer
Healthcare Products Association to discuss a proposed Twin City
ordinance similar to what Brady is planning.

Opposition by retailers stalled the Bloomington-Normal effort, and
those involved are now reviewing Brady's proposal.

The local ordinance would have required stores to place cold and
allergy medicines and other ephedrine-related products behind the
counter. In theory, that would help ensure products were purchased
only in limited supply through an employee.

In their response to the proposed ordinance, many local retailers
voluntarily took measures to help limit mass purchases of the drug.

A state law would cover packaging and general sale of similar
products, but retailers want to update language so they can better
address sales limits. The uniformity of a state law, rather than
dozens of individual city ordinances, would make training and
compliance a lot easier and better for retailers, said Rob Karr, vice
president of government and member relations for the Springfield-based
merchants association.

"I think retailers will have the benefit of stepping forward in
restricting access to ephedrine products without infringing on the
convenience or the rights of the legal users, which are the vast
majority of users," Karr said.

Bloomington city attorney Todd Greenburg said that even if a state law
is approved, a local ordinance might still be drafted.

"I don't think there were any challenges to doing it on a state
level," said Greenburg. "It is possible, however, that a local
ordinance may follow the state law. Right now, we'd like to see if we
can have common, uniform legislation on the state level."

Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who made a campaign promise of cracking
down on meth labs, also is considering legislation. Brady plans to
meet with Madigan on the issue.