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Aug. 01, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

For police, new anti-meth law nothing to sneeze at

State increases penalties, restricts sales of key ingredient

By BRIAN HAYNES
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Shari Bock, pharmacist and owner of Huntridge Pharmacy, works at the pharmacy counter Tuesday. A new state law that takes effect today allows only pharmacies to sell medicines that contain the decongestant pseudoephedrine.
Photo by John Locher.

An anti-methamphetamine law that takes effect today could make it harder for some people to buy cold medicines while making it easier for state and local law enforcement to crack down on meth makers.

The sweeping law addresses many aspects of methamphetamine production, from restricting over-the-counter sales of its key ingredient to stiffening penalties for selling or buying chemicals used to make the drug.

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"Meth has been in our community for 10 years, and we're seeing the effects of it now," said Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who supported the bill during this year's Legislature.

Much of the new law mirrors the Combat Meth Act of 2005 passed by Congress. The federal law required all medicines with the decongestant pseudoephedrine to be placed behind the counter. It also made buyers show identification and sign a logbook.

Pseudoephedrine is the key ingredient in methamphetamine, an addictive stimulant with a powerful high.

The state law includes the federal requirements but goes a step further by allowing only pharmacies to sell pseudoephedrine. Consumers used to buying the decongestant from convenience or grocery stores will have to visit a pharmacy to get their medicine from now on.

Most grocery and convenience stores stopped selling pseudoephedrine after the federal law took effect last year, however, because of the cumbersome logbook requirement, said Liz MacMenamin of the Retailers Association of Nevada.

Those stores can sell a pseudoephedrine alternative called phenylephrine, which is in medicines such as Sudafed PE but it is not as effective or long-lasting, she said.

The new law makes using false identification to buy pseudoephedrine a state crime. Before, it was a federal crime that could be prosecuted only by U.S. attorneys.

The law also stiffens penalties for people caught selling or buying chemicals used to make methamphetamine, making it a felony carrying a three- to 15-year prison sentence.

"This gives the attorney general the teeth she needs that she didn't have before," MacMenamin said.

Pharmacists must also report large thefts of pseudoephedrine to the Nevada Department of Public Safety.

Most consumers won't notice the changes in the law, because pharmacies have restricted access to pseudoephedrine, either voluntarily or because of federal law, for about three years, said Josh Stanley, a spokesman for the Nevada Pharmacist Association.

"Some think it's kind of a feel-good law because they can get their pseudoephedrine elsewhere," such as Mexico, Stanley said of homegrown meth makers.

In recent years, stricter U.S. laws and controls on chemicals used to make methamphetamine have eliminated most local meth labs. In Nevada, meth labs busted by authorities peaked at 125 in 2003 and fell to 35 last year.

Almost all meth now comes from Mexico, where drug cartels produce large amounts of meth every day in superlabs and smuggle it across the border.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: John O'Neill wrote on August 01, 2007 06:39 PM: Another law that only applies to citizens. Illegal third world invaders use thier "fake ID" all the time; and when they use it to purchase these cold pills...nothing...but you can be sure that the cases they do prosecute will be legal citizens using fake id Aaron wrote on August 01, 2007 05:12 PM: This is just ducky. Cause inconvenience to law-abiding citizens. The amount of meth that could be produced by buying over the counter pseudoephedrine from stores can't be very much. This law is just another "look what we're doing to combat drugs" crock of crap. JH wrote on August 01, 2007 03:33 PM: Mission 031 I haven't been arrested in my life, because my parents instilled in me, the proper way to do things in life. I went to school to be a cop 38 years ago, and spent every weekend for 2 years riding a patrol car. Nothing like things are today. I am just saying, "quit penalizing law abiding citizens". I don't remember saying a word about anything coming from Mexico. Guess you can't read. And believe me, my life is anything but shallow. And a coward I am not. If you would have followed my footsteps over the last 40 years, you would have been dead. You would have never made it. Believe me. John O'Neill wrote on August 01, 2007 03:10 PM: "Meth has been in our community for 10 years, and we're seeing the effects of it now," said Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto..." What an idiot, is she serious? Meth has been in our community in epidemic proportions for 25 years. The resrtiction of the general publics ability to purchase legal medication will do nothing to curb the large scale manufacture of meth...of which the vast majority is produced in Mexico. Close the border, then you will stop it. Leave the border open, you get paltitudes from incompetents John O'Neill wrote on August 01, 2007 03:09 PM: "Meth has been in our community for 10 years, and we're seeing the effects of it now," said Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto..." What an idiot, is she serious? Meth has been in our community in epidemic proportions for 25 years. The resrtiction of the general publics ability to purchase legal medication will do nothing to curb the large scale manufacture of meth...of which the vast majority is produced in Mexico. Close the border, then you will stop it. Leave the border open, you get paltitudes from incompetent jerks. John O'Neill wrote on August 01, 2007 03:09 PM: "Meth has been in our community for 10 years, and we're seeing the effects of it now," said Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto..." What an idiot, is she serious? Meth has been in our community in epidemic proportions for 25 years. The resrtiction of the general publics ability to purchase legal medication will do nothing to curb the large scale manufacture of meth...of which the vast majority is produced in Mexico. Close the border, then you will stop it. Leave the border open, you get paltitudes from incompetent jerks. Steve wrote on August 01, 2007 12:59 PM: Yet, they arrest, convict, and confine 2 border patrol agents for shooting at a drug smuggling ILLEGAL alien and then allow the ILLEGAL to sue and be paid $65 MILLION for his illegal activities. tambora wrote on August 01, 2007 12:43 PM: Do you hear that MR SHERIFF, from MEXICO, oh I'm sorry, you don't let your Troops talk to mexicans, for fear of the ID s$$#%t. HOw do they Elect you, YOu do nothing SHERIFF, People of Clark County wake up, its hard enough to raise your child in this hell as it is, and to have law enforcement spit in your face. HELLO...what a farce. THey let MExicans run up to cars all day on Eastern @ the Fwy, put then put the girls in jail doing the same thing. HELLO sheriff, COMING from MEXICO..wake up.. P.HENRY now wrote on August 01, 2007 11:53 AM: the govt.doesn't want to stop the drugs,it's the way to keep the people off the govt,backs..give them drugs etc mission031 wrote on August 01, 2007 10:15 AM: JH, I think you've lost your mind. Do you really think the meth comes from Mexico by itself? Maybe you should do a ride along with a local law enforcement to see what an epidemic Meth is in our town...afterall, you pay their taxes, why not see what they're really up against in the real world. JH, did you hear that...REAL WORLD, you should familiarize yourself with that concept since you live in your own self-centered shallow life. As far as your anger towards the police, your either A) upset that you got arrested in your past. B) maybe got a speeding ticket that you couldn't afford to pay Ticketbusters to fix. C) a coward who likes to point fingers and assign blame instead of being part of the solution Read All Comments