FROM OVER THE COUNTER TO BEHIND THE COUNTER

Retailers assist lawmen in battle against meth

With methamphetamine production and use on the rise in the Joplin area,
law enforcement officers are enlisting the help of retailers in their
struggle to get a handle on the drug.

Wal-Mart, the largest retailer and one of the largest pharmacies in the
area, is among a number of businesses reporting to police when people buy
the materials used to make methamphetamine. Police say the cooperation has
helped nab a number of meth producers.

"It's resulted in a number of arrests and added a lot of information to
several investigations," said Newton County sheriff's Capt. Chris Jennings.
"In some cases that have not directly resulted in arrests, they have led us
to bigger labs."

In Missouri, state law limits the amount of "methamphetamine precursor
drugs" that can be sold to any one person by a retail business.

The precursor drugs include ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and
phenylpropanolamine, found in common over-the-counter cold and allergy
medications.

Rob Phillips, a spokesman for Wal-Mart's pharmacy division, said the
company has voluntarily limited the amount of these medications it sells
from stores nationwide for more than a year.

"We have prompts at the cash register that inform the customer they cannot
buy any more ephedrine," Phillips said. "We've adopted a strict policy that
no more than 9 milligrams or three packages of most of those kinds of pills
can be sold."

Phillips said specific policies regarding the handling of ephedrine-base
medications are made by each store manager based on the company's policy.

In Joplin, Wal-Mart pharmacies have taken those medicines off the shelves
and put them behind the pharmacists' counters.

"Most of that stuff is at high risk of being stolen, so we've moved it
behind the counter," said Greg Sanders, manager of the Wal-Mart Supercenter
on West Seventh Street in Joplin. "We also keep a stock at the service desk
for sale when the pharmacy is closed, but you have to ask for it. At this
store, we've recognized those pills as high-threat items, and we try to
control the sale of them."

Quantity of Purchases

Jennings said cashiers at convenience stores sometimes spot groups of
people buying cold medications for use in making methamphetamine.

"That's happened since the new law went into effect," he said. "You'll have
multiple people going into a convenience store, or maybe the same person
coming in at different times or on different days, buying ephedrine or
other items they can use to make meth. The clerk can see that and say,
'Hey, that person was here the other day buying the same product; maybe
they need to be checked out.'

"The clerks can pass on a description and sometimes a license number to us,
and we can check it out."

Joplin police Lt. Delmar Haase said his department has tried to educate
business owners about some of the other products in their stores that meth
makers might use.

"Drug producers use the phosphorus from matches in the production of meth,"
Haase said. "A box of books of matches will last one person forever. When
someone buys a bunch of boxes of matches, that usually means they are up to
something. It's the same with road flares, which also contain phosphorus.
One or two in your trunk is being prepared, but buying a case of flares can
mean something to us."

Sanders, the Wal-Mart manager, said cashiers are trained to recognize the
other materials used to produce meth. The list includes camping fuel,
coffee filters, red phosphorus, acetone, ether, iodine and dozens of other
products.

"We have a poster in the back hall by the time clock that describes the
materials in methamphetamine," Sanders said. "If they see someone buying
camping fuel, ephedrine and some of the other items in combination, they
know to come to management."

Sanders said he has reported suspicious purchases to police about 12 times
in the past year.

"I've seen an occasion where the police stopped the person in the parking
lot and found drugs in their car," Sanders said. "We want to sell our
merchandise, but we also feel we have an obligation to the community to
help officers fight drug makers."

Kansas Bill Pending

In Kansas, law officers are working with retailers in ways similar to those
in Missouri.

On Feb. 13, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department said a tip from a
retailer led officers to arrest a Pittsburg man who was making the rounds
of several businesses and buying meth-making items.

Several items commonly used to make meth were found in his car, and a
search warrant served at his home led to the discovery of a lab.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Department said a similar tip from a Galena
business led to the arrest of a couple in rural Galena and the discovery of
a lab in January.

Kyle Smith, spokesman for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said Kansas
law enforcement officers are asking legislators to pass a law similar to
Missouri's that limits the sale of precursor drugs.

Smith testified in favor of Senate Bill 515 at a meeting of the Kansas
Senate's Judiciary Committee on Friday.

Smith said lobbyists representing retailers and the pharmaceutical industry
are fighting the bill, saying it would be too costly and inconvenient to
implement.

"It's Worth it"

Some area residents said they support the efforts to limit the sale of
precursor drugs and monitor the sale of other items used to make
methamphetamine.

"I don't have a problem with stores telling the police if people are buying
unusual quantities of something like that," said Terry Sneed, 50, a
manufacturing supervisor from Airport Drive. "If something looks unusual,
the police are right to look into it."

Phillips, the Wal-Mart pharmacy spokesman, said the stores try to be
discreet when alerting authorities.

"The overwhelming majority of our customers are law-abiding," he said. "Our
purpose is not to hassle our customers. That's why we do things very
discreetly and have store managers get in touch with law enforcement
officers. We are very concerned about the privacy of our customers, and
want to be very respectful and considerate of them."

William Ellsworth, 39, a security guard from Baxter Springs, Kan., said he
doesn't mind the retailers' involvement if it keeps methamphetamine off the
street.

"As bad as the meth problem is, I can live with the intrusion," Ellsworth
said. "It may be intrusive, but it's worth it. It's like the tighter
screening at airports. It's something we've got to learn to live with.

"If it keeps somebody from offering my daughter meth sometime in the
future, I don't mind a bit."