Prescribing a solution: Law enforcement, law makers propose requiring prescription for pseudoephedrine products to curb meth production

EDITOR'S NOTE: A spelling error was corrected in the story headline.

An increase in the incidents of manufacturing and possessing methamphetamine in 2009 has convinced the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force that lawmakers need to do more than move pseudoephedrine, a key component in making the drug, behind the pharmacy counter.

After a drop in the number of meth labs seized from 2005 to 2008, people seeking pseudoephedrine seemed to find a way around the law and began buying the legal amount at multiple pharmacies, according to Kevin Glaser, director of the drug task force.

Glaser said they seized 146 meth labs in 2009, a dramatic increase from the 42 labs busted in 2008.

Task force officers also saw a jump in the incidents of methamphetamine possession and distribution -- from 85 cases in 2008 to 348 in 2009.

Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force Kevin Glaser said these bags of meth were seized recently in Chaffee, Mo. Each bag weighed in at 1 ounce. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Glaser)

A more strict change to the law may bring the numbers back down, said Glaser, and keep them down.

A bill filed by Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson, would require a doctor's prescription to purchase medicines containing pseudoephedrine, which is most commonly used to treat ear and sinus infections. The bill is aimed to keep the decongestant out of the hands of individuals who plan to abuse it, yet still available to those who need it.

"We've got to do something that stops the sale of that product," Glaser said. "We'd like to see the law go statewide, that is what's going to be most effective."

Vic Heisserer, a relief pharmacist for Horst Pharmacy of Jackson, said the law, if passed, may not be handy for some, but it would be in the public's best interest in the long run. The law as it is written now isn't working to counter the use of methamphetamine, he said.

"The person that's buying the medicine, they write down their license number themselves. They can give a false name," Heisserer said. "I do know that it's being abused."

While a more rigid law may inconvenience some, Lipke has said anyone that needs the medicine will not be denied it.

Glaser said much of the opposition for the bill stems from individuals concerned they'll have to see a doctor each time they need a cold remedy containing pseudoephedrine.

"If you're a person that absolutely has to have it, a doctor could write the prescription and it's good for a year," Glaser said. "We're trying to take the burden off the law-abiding people who are using it for legitimate purposes."

If people are willing to use Claritin or Zyrtec, medicines containing decongestants that don't have the qualities for making meth and available without a prescription, a change in the law may be more adaptable.

"There's just so many other products on the market that will do the same thing as far as your cold is concerned that don't have the qualities for making methamphetamines," Glaser said. "Why even mess with this one?"

The Kennett, Mo., and Poplar Bluff, Mo., city councils have already declared their support of the passage of the bill by passing a city ordinance making pseudoephedrine available only by prescription in their respective communities.

And while city leaders in Jackson have had general conversations on the issue, Mayor Barbara Lohr said they haven't begun to discuss it as a group. She said the city is supporting Lipke in his efforts to pass the bill that includes the entire state of Missouri.

"That way it would be consistent throughout the state," Lohr said. "I think that it would help the entire state ... in that it would reduce the number of meth labs in our area."

The city of Cape Girardeau has also not formally discussed the issue, according to city manager Scott Meyer. City leaders are working through various other issues, but that's not an indication of whether they'll address the issue of pseudoephedrine, Meyer said.

"What I know about the issue is, we do have a meth problem and whatever can be done to help that I think are appropriate acts," Meyer said. "Statewide is a more comprehensive way to look at it."

ehevern@semissourian.com

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