Missouri will expand its anti-smurfing campaign

Missouri is expanding its statewide anti-smurfing campaign, according to a news release from Attorney General Chris Koster's office.

The voluntary educational campaign -- launched last month in Kansas City -- is aimed at raising public awareness of "smurfing," an illegal practice in which individuals buy cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine to sell to methamphetamine cooks.

State law limits the amount of pseudoephedrine a person can purchase in a given period of time. The drug is a key ingredient in the production of methamphetamine.

Signs displayed near cash registers inform consumers that smurfing is a serious offense and a key part of the methamphetamine production process. The signs also explain the consequences of illegally buying medicine for others.

The campaign was developed by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a national association representing the makers of over-the-counter medications, and is carried out by Missouri retailers on a voluntary basis.

The website Meth-KnowTheConsequences.org says buying pseudoephedrine for a methamphetamine manufacturer is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.