BILL PUTS NEEDED LIMITS ON METH PRECURSORS

A fine line exists between the loss of personal freedoms and the sacrifice
of individual convenience for the sake of society as a whole.

Where that distinction is placed, and consequently, when it is crossed, is
likely different for each individual. Americans have shown lately that they
are, for the most part, willing to make certain sacrifices if it benefits
the country's security.

On a local level, a bill proposed last Tuesday in Frankfort asks
Kentuckians to make a similar effort -- one that won't impose harsh
restrictions, but does ask sacrifice of those who live by the law in hopes
of ridding the streets of those who don't.

Legislation proposed by Rep. Brian Crall, an Owensboro Republican, and Sen.
Robert Stivers, a Manchester Republican, would make it a Class D felony --
punishable by one to five years in prison -- for individuals possessing
more than 24 grams of pseudoephedrine on first offense. Pseudoephedrine is
found in over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, but it is also the
primary ingredient used to make methamphetamine.

The bill would also make it a felony for the unlawful distribution of meth
precursors, as well as enhancing the penalties for manufacturing
methamphetamine in the presence of a minor.

While it's understandable to have concerns over legislating a product that
is both legal and of medicinal benefit to many, we think this is a case
where such action is necessary. It's hard to imagine any one factor having
a more adverse effect on this community, and western Kentucky as a whole,
than meth.

Representatives from the Daviess County Sheriff's Department were in
Frankfort Tuesday as the lead agency promoting the legislation. Sheriff
Keith Cain echoed a message he's repeated often locally -- that since 1998
this entire region has faced a meth epidemic, and the problem is not
getting better. Over that period more than 200 meth labs have been
uncovered in Daviess County alone.

This law has a chance to significantly reduce that number. During a 2000
forum hosted in Owensboro by the U.S. Attorney's Office, a former
prosecutor detailed the success his county had with similar legislation. In
1997, Jackson County, Mo., where Kansas City is located, uncovered more
than 300 meth labs, he said. After legislation passed limiting the supply
of precursors, that number fell to below 100 within two years.

While this bill will be portrayed as a western Kentucky issue, legislators
would be naive to think it doesn't have implications throughout the state.
The meth epidemic began in California and has slowly worked its way east.
There is little reason to believe that movement will stop here. Local law
enforcement have already arrested individuals from central and eastern
Kentucky who were trying to steal anhydrous ammonia, another important
ingredient in the meth-cooking process.

And going beyond the benefits, the legislation does not put the average
person suffering from a cold or allergy in danger of going to jail for
having medication. The proposed limit -- 24 grams - equals about 800 30
milligram tablets. That amounts to more than 33 normal-size boxes.

Those amounts show this is clearly meant to be a preventative, not
restrictive, measure. The legislation is a needed tool in the efforts to
get a handle on a problem that is devastating communities and shows no sign
of slowing down.