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Newsbrief:
Oklahoma
Lawmakers
to
Move
Against
Sudafed
in
Meth
Battle
1/16/04
Oklahoma lawmakers are preparing
to submit legislation that would restrict the sales of popular over-the-counter
decongestants, such as Sudafed, as part of the state's war on methamphetamine
and its users. The products contain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient
in at least one method of homemade meth manufacture. According to
Oklahoma law enforcement officials, more than 1,300 meth labs were busted
in the state last year.
Reuters reported this week
that state Senator Dick Wilkerson (D-Atwood) will sponsor a bill now being
drafted that would ban convenience stores and gas stations from selling
products containing significant amounts of pseudoephedrine and force pharmacies
to offer it only behind-the-counter. Customers who wished to purchase
Sudafed or similar products would have to register their names with each
purchase, and purchase amounts would be limited.
"Is it a big industry secret
that meth is a highly addictive, easily made drug?" Wilkerson asked.
"No." He told Reuters he would introduce the bill early next month.
Over-the-counter medicine
sellers are not amused. "We don't think legislation is the way to
do it," said Donna Edenhart, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Healthcare
Products Association. "The over-the-counter-products that contain
those chemicals are helping millions and millions each year," she told
Reuters.
Other common items that can
be used in cooking meth include rock salt, battery acid, red phosphorous
road flares and anhydrous ammonia, a fertilizer not readily available for
purchase but found in storage tanks in many rural communities, he said.
No word yet on when the Oklahoma legislature will ban rock salt.
-- END --
|
Issue #320, 1/16/04
SSDP Does New Hampshire, Part II: Candidates, Conventions, and Repealing the HEA Anti-Drug Provision |
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New Federal Prosecution of California Medical Marijuana Patients |
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Newsbrief: Amnesty International Rakes Singapore over Executions, Mostly of Drug Offenders |
Newsbrief: Feds Want Ability to Wiretap VoIP -- DEA Included, Naturally |
Newsbrief: Oklahoma Lawmakers to Move Against Sudafed in Meth Battle |
Newsbrief: New Jersey "Safe, Drug-Free" Benefit Concert Ends in Melee, Arrests |
Newsbrief: Florida Appeals Court Nixes "Knock and Talk" Arrest |
Newsbrief: Bolivian Coca Growers Push Bill to Legalize More Coca |
Newsbrief: In Australia, Queensland Drug Courts Mostly Send Marijuana Users to Treatment |
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This Week in History |
DRCNet Temporarily Suspending Our Web Based Write-to-Congress Service Due to Funding Shortfalls -- Your Help Can Bring It Back -- Keep Contacting Congress in the Meantime |
Perry Fund Accepting Applications for 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 School Years, Providing Scholarships for Students Losing Aid Because of Drug Convictions |
The Reformer's Calendar
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