DEA CHIEF: LIMIT COLD-DRUG SALES

In A Visit To Wichita, Asa Hutchinson Says A Restriction On The Sale Of
Cold Medications Would Curb Meth Problems.

The United States must limit the sale of over-the-counter cold medicine if
it is going to win the war against methamphetamine, DEA chief Asa
Hutchinson said Friday during a visit to Wichita.

Hutchinson said he supported federal legislation that would restrict the
sale of pseudoephedrine, a drug in some cold medicines that is used to make
meth.

Hutchinson's comments came during a City Hall news conference where Rep.
Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, presented an $803,000 grant to Wichita Police Chief
Norman Williams.

Police said the money would be used for a meth-lab investigation truck, a
bomb-handling robot and other officer safety equipment.

Although some retail outlets already restrict the sale of cold medicine,
several law enforcement officers attending the news conference said cases
of the drugs are commonly sold in some parts of Kansas.

Hutchinson said limiting cold medicine purchases to three packages at a
time would cut into the amount of the drug that is produced.

After the news conference, Hutchinson met with police and school and mental
health workers to discuss prevention and intervention methods that can be
used to curb the use of meth.

The DEA said Kansas ranks fourth in the nation in the number of meth labs
seized. They say many are run by people who get meth-making instructions
from the Internet.