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March 17, 2010

Stivers’ bill aims to curtail meth production

The Times-Tribune

CORBIN — FRANKFORT (AP) — A Senate panel approved a bill Tuesday in the latest push to combat methamphetamine production in Kentucky - this time by blocking drug offenders from purchasing popular cold medicines with ingredients used to make the illicit drug.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Robert Stivers said his measure was an attempt to curb meth production by sidelining many of the people who could be recruited to purchase common medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

Meth cookers try to circumvent current state controls by paying others to purchase the cold medicines, such as Sudafed. Meth has become a common scourge in parts of Kentucky.

Stivers, R-Manchester, acknowledged that his bill “may not be enough. We may have to be back here in a year or two years to try to deal with the problem.”

Still, the measure easily cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee, and appeared to be on a fast track in the Senate. It would go to the House if it passes the Senate.

Stivers acknowledged that some in law enforcement want a stronger measure that would allow prescription-only access to medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

Afterward, Kentucky State Police Lt. Col. Mike Sapp advocated the prescription-only approach. Sapp, who did not testify before the committee, credited Stivers with trying to tackle the problem, but said his proposal doesn’t go far enough.

“We’re not solving the problem with meth labs with this bill,” he told reporters. “All we’re doing is chasing the problem. The way to solve the problem is eliminate the source of the methamphetamine manufacturing in Kentucky.”

Sapp acknowledged that requiring a prescription for the common medicines would be “a little inconvenient” for some people but added, “you’ve got to look at the big picture of the public good and the public safety factors.” Sapp said the number of meth labs uncovered by Kentucky law enforcement has rise n sharply.

Under the bill, people convicted of drug possession and trafficking offenses would be blocked from purchasing those medicines, as would people convicted of stealing other meth ingredients such as anhydrous ammonia.

The prohibition on buying the medicines would last five years from the person’s date of incarceration, parole or probation, whichever is longer. An existing electronic tracking system would prevent access to those medicines. Offenders needing those medicines for health reasons could still get them through a prescription.

The bill would limit a person’s purchase of medicine containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to no more than 7½ grams every 30 days. The current limit is 9 grams during that period.

The measure is a follow-up to anti-meth legislation enacted five years ago in Kentucky that limited the availability of medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

The earlier crackdown required people buying such cold medicines to show a photo identification and sign a log at the store. It also required that such medicines be placed behind a counter or in a case.

Sapp said the latest measure would keep some people from supplying the medicines to meth makers. But he said the producers are “pretty innovative” and will seek out more recruits to buy the medicines.

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