PENNSYLVANIA Anti-meth bill targets cold drugs

Experts say methamphetamine use is a growing problem in the state.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Drugstores and other retailers that restrict or closely monitor sales of cold and allergy medications make it easier for law enforcement to crack down on methamphetamine manufacturing, Pennsylvania state police said.
Police are supporting a bill before the state Senate Judiciary Committee that would make it a felony to possess ephedrine or pseudoephedrine and other common chemicals with the intent of making controlled substances.
If the bill becomes a law, violators could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
State police officials said the law could help law enforcement stop what addiction experts fear is a growing problem in Pennsylvania.
"We're starting to see a slight increase in methamphetamine locally. It's a very big problem in other parts of the country," said Dr. Neil Capretto, the medical director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Beaver County. "You see all the problems you have with crack or cocaine, which are many, and just magnified and prolonged with methamphetamine use."
State Police Sgt. Michael Ruda said his agency in the first six weeks of the year investigated reports of 15 methamphetamine labs around the state. He predicted state police will find as many as 150 labs by the end of the year.
In 2001 and 2002, state police found fewer than 60 labs around the state, State Police Maj. Frank Monaco said.
Current regulations
Neither the stimulant ephedrine nor the decongestant pseudoephedrine are controlled substances in Pennsylvania. A 1990 state law requires retailers to register with the state and keep transaction records.
The Drug Enforcement Administration asks retailers to limit sales to 3 grams of pseudoephedrine per package and 9 grams per transaction, and monitors manufacturers and wholesalers for excessive sales. But the regulations aren't tough enough, said Dennis Johnson, the supervisor of the DEA's Pittsburgh pharmaceutical group.
Monaco said he's investigating tactics and laws that have successfully limited methamphetamine manufacturing in other states.
They include requiring stores to limit sales of over-the-counter medications and other common household items, imposing age restrictions on buyers and putting some over-the-counter medications behind the counter.