Many states taking steps to curb meth production

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, January 11, 2005

ST. LOUIS – Over-the-counter cold pills might be removed from store shelves across much of the Southwest and Midwest this year as officials struggle to crack down on methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that can be brewed from decongestants and other common household items.

At least 20 states are considering tight restrictions on access to Sudafed, NyQuil, Claritin-D, Tylenol Flu and hundreds of other cold, allergy and sinus remedies that contain pseudoephedrine.

Details vary, but in many states only pharmacists or their assistants would be allowed to dispense the medicines. Customers would have to show identification – and even enter their addresses in a law enforcement database. Some states also might restrict purchases to as few as two to three boxes a month.

In most cases, the controls would apply only to pseudoephedrine tablets; gel caps and liquid formulas are generally exempt because it’s much harder to convert them to illegal drugs.

The pharmaceutical industry strongly opposes the restrictions, arguing that they would inconvenience legitimate customers, especially in rural areas where the nearest pharmacy might be 40 miles away and open only on weekdays. The trade association representing chain drugstores also plans to lobby against the legislative action. So do some convenience store owners.

Despite this opposition, lawmakers in state after state say they are confident that the measures will pass with broad bipartisan support.

In southwest Iowa, Sheriff Terry Baxter needs more than hope. “We have to do something,” Baxter said. “Meth is just taking over.”

Methamphetamine comes in many forms. It can look like rock salt or chalk dust. It can be amber, white or translucent, even red or brown. Users inject, snort, smoke or swallow it.

The stimulant produces an exhilarating rush. Within a few hours, though, it wears off, inducing deep depression and paranoia, leaving users frantic for another hit. Addicts often use meth for days, not pausing to sleep or eat.

Meth can cost as much as powder cocaine; prices nationally range from $80 to $250 for a bag of .06 ounce, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. But it’s also a do-it-yourself drug, easy to make in a bathtub from one of more than 100 recipes passed from addict to addict.

It’s popular among women – who sometimes try it because they’ve heard it will keep them thin – and among young adults. A federal survey in 2003 found that half of recent users were younger than 18.

As much as 80 percent of the methamphetamine available in the United States comes from organized crime rings cooking up huge quantities of the drug in California or across the border in Mexico. Restrictions on sales of Sudafed would do little to stop them.

The controls are aimed instead at meth brewed in small, makeshift labs.

Rural states such as Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma are pocked with thousands – some officials say tens of thousands – of illegal labs.

Explosions are common. The gases emitted in the cooking process are so toxic that the fumes can corrode metal and scar lungs. The waste produced is so hazardous that cleanup crews must wear full protective suits.

Mike, a former addict from Omaha, Neb., said he feared the violence would rise if addicts couldn’t legally buy what they need to cook meth.

“Addicts will do pretty much anything to get what they need,” he said.

But officials across the country, facing an epidemic of meth abuse, seem willing to take the risk, especially now that they’ve seen the “tremendous results” Oklahoma’s law has produced, said Iowa’s director of drug control policy, Marvin Van Haaften.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski enacted restrictions similar to those in Oklahoma in the fall. Lawmakers in Alabama, Idaho, Minnesota and Texas are working on proposed legislation.

A spokesman for Pfizer, which makes Sudafed, said the company would not fight the proposed laws.

Baxter, the Iowa sheriff, said locking up decongestants won’t put an end to the meth epidemic. Already, new recipes are circulating among meth cooks that don’t require pseudoephedrine.

“Am I going to get this stopped? No,” Baxter said. “But I’m going to make it as damned hard to cook this stuff as I possibly can.”