Some States Mull Requiring Prescription For Meth Ingredients

"State and local efforts to thwart methamphetamine production by further limiting consumer access to a popular decongestant are pitting law enforcement against pharmacists and patients," USA Today reports. "New ordinances in some Missouri communities and legislation pending in several states would require consumers to get a prescription to buy cold and allergy pills containing pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed and Claritin-D. The medicines still are being purchased at pharmacies to make methamphetamine, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), despite an earlier nationwide effort to track sales." These initiatives are motivated by efforts to do away with meth labs - "often in homes or hotel rooms - that use a mixture of toxic chemicals that can explode or catch fire, putting bystanders at risk and requiring costly cleanups" (Young, 2/1).