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Another way to fight meth
Monday, July 04, 2005

Stopping the supply of illegal methamphetamine in Alabama will require the combined efforts of state law enforcement, retailers, pharmacists and the federal government.

The distribution of meth has become one of Alabama's most serious drug problems. Use of the illegal drug has led to thousands of wrecked lives.

Legislators did right to pass a law in May that regulates the sale of popular over-the-counter medicines that contain the main ingredients in meth ? pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.


In Mobile and Baldwin counties alone, a week rarely passes without law officers busting an illegal meth lab and arresting its operators.

The law took effect Friday, but it seems to have caught the Alabama Beverage Control off guard. So far, the agency's response has been wholly inadequate.

The ABC had no enforcement plan in place, leaving store owners confused about the law's requirements.

The new state law requires retailers to check the ID's of buyers of products such as the popular decongestant Sudafed.

Buyers must be 18 or older, and they must sign a register.

Moreover, no one can purchase more than two packages or 6 grams of drugs at a time.

In addition, stores can put the over-the-counter medications behind the counter or in a locked cabinet, or stop selling it.

Alabama's congressional delegation can help by leading Congress to pressure Mexico, which has become a leading supplier of methamphetamine to U.S. users. The Oregonian newspaper of Portland, Ore., revealed disquieting evidence last week about Mexico's role in supplying U.S. addicts with meth.

The Mexican government needs to do much more to limit imports of pseudoephedrine by operators of illegal meth labs.

As for Alabama's state legislators, they can contribute by revisiting a bill that would create criminal penalties for exposing children to the manufacture of meth.

In the meantime, the ABC can step up its enforcement efforts, and retailers can become enthusiastic about abiding the law. While fighting meth requires national and international efforts, a state assault against the drug's production in Alabama can begin now.