Keeping cold medicines behind counter helps in meth battle

TULSA, Oklahoma — In the 10 months since Oklahoma pharmacies became the first in the nation to keep popular cold medications behind the counter and require identification to buy them, seizures of illegal methamphetamine labs have fallen by 80 percent, state law enforcement officials say.

Now more than 25 states — impressed with Oklahoma's success in thwarting small-scale meth production — are considering similar legislation, in the face of opposition from the pharmaceutical and retail industries. Oregon recently passed a bill, and other states are close behind.

Utah has joined a national effort to better control common products used to make the drug. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, has hailed the effort saying, "Methamphetamine is one of our nation's fastest-growing drug threats. Unfortunately, Utah is not immune to this menace. In fact, Utah is ranked among the top 10 states for meth labs and has ranked No. 1 for speed cookeries per capita."

The Oklahoma law classifies pseudoephedrine — an ingredient in decongestants such as Sudafed, and a vital ingredient in meth production — as a controlled substance. That takes it out of convenience stores and grocery stores and limits the amount consumers can buy at pharmacies.

"We saw the seizures of clandestine meth labs increase month after month in the state until the law was enacted in April," said Democratic Gov. Brad Henry. "The only explanation is that the law had an impact."

Methamphetamine — a powerful stimulant that impairs the central nervous system — is the latest drug scourge to capture the nation's attention. In a small Indianapolis town last month, a 10-year-old girl was abducted and killed to keep her from revealing that methamphetamine was being cooked in an apartment near her home.

Known as the poor man's cocaine because of its cheap price and lengthy high, meth has long been a drug of choice among low-income addicts. But what used be an isolated problem in pockets of the West and in rural areas has become a top priority for law enforcement officials across the Southwest and Midwest, where meth production and use has moved from biker gangs to mainstream.

According to a 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health report, 12.4 million Americans ages 12 and older had tried methamphetamine at least once, with most users between 18 and 34. Last year, more than 3,000 children were rescued during seizures of more than 15,000 meth labs nationwide, according to the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy.