Stopping Meth … Cold Law Enforcement Wants Medications Sold From Behind Counters

Spokane law enforcement officials urged legislators Tuesday to require that cold and diet drugs with ephedrine be sold from behind pharmacy counters.

The proposal would make buyers ask for the medications. It could slow methamphetamine manufacturing, which has risen exponentially throughout the state during the 1990s, authorities say.

Meth is made from over-the-counter items such as iodine and rock salt. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine - which can be extracted from cold, asthma and diet medications - are key ingredients that often prompt meth makers to scour local pharmacies in hopes of buying the drugs in large quantities.

Tuesday’s proposal, outlined by agencies including the Spokane Police Department and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, is a step back from a more ambitious plan that was considered.

Initially, Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk and others supported making ephedrine and pseudoephedrine pills off-limits without a prescription. Ephedrine was taken off the state’s controlled substance list in 1994.

However, Sterk said Tuesday, that would have only resulted in more laws for officers to enforce. The prescription strategy could also have placed a burden on those seeking relief from a common cold, requiring a trip to the doctor.

The scaled-back plan still moves toward the goal of limiting access to ephedrine for meth makers.

“This is acceptable to me,” said Lt. Chan Bailey, who investigates drug crimes for the sheriff’s office. “Because if we don’t do something to restrict access to those drugs, we’re going to get run over.”

If moving ephedrine products behind pharmacy counters doesn’t curb meth use, Spokane police agencies may later ask that ephedrine be assigned prescription status.

Sterk acknowledged that some pharmacies and corporate chains, such as Wal-Mart, have already placed cold medicines behind the counter or limited amounts they sell to each person. But the effect on meth manufacturing, so far, has been minimal.

Sterk also noted that the plan, as now detailed, would not prevent drug users from visiting multiple stores to obtain the number of cold pills needed to cook a batch of meth. Additionally, the group had no explanation for how gas stations and truck stops, which sell ephedrine-based medicines, would be affected.

The Spokane law enforcement plan is likely one of several meth requests that will be brought to the Legislature next year.

Dick VanWagenen, an adviser to Gov. Gary Locke, said Locke will likely ask the Legislature to limit the number of ephedrine tablets that a store can sell to one person. The targeted amount is three large packages, or 9 grams, VanWagenen said.

“We think that it’s reasonable for what a consumer might need around the house,” he said.

The city of Tacoma already has an ordinance banning store owners from selling more than three 48-pill packages of cold medicine to one customer. Pierce County, which has the most meth labs in the state, passed a similar law last month.

Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin said commissioners also plan to discuss crafting a county-wide law that would limit the amount of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine tablets stores can sell.

In 1999, Washington had the second highest number of meth labs busted in the nation, next to California, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

This year, the state Department of Ecology has responded to clean up 1,184 meth labs through the end of October, compared with 789 all of last year. In Spokane, Ecology officials were summoned to 36 meth lab sites in 1999, compared with 110 through the end of October.

“The methamphetamine problem is having a wave effect, and it’s a wave that won’t crest for quite some time,” Spokane Police Chief Roger Bragdon said.

This sidebar appeared with the story: METH LAB BUSTS

In 1999, Washington had the second highest number of meth labs busted in the nation, next to California, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.