Bipartisan anti-meth bill could be approved as early as next week

The Combat Meth Act, promoted by U.S. Sen. Jim Talent, might be approved next week when Congress debates the USA-Patriot Act Reauthorization Conference Report.

The bipartisan anti-meth bill, also promoted by Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will restrict the sale of and put all pseudo-ephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine behind pharmacy counters. It will require individuals to show identification and sign a log book, will limit purchases to no more than 9 grams per month and 3.6 grams in a single day and will toughen penalties for meth cooks.

The bill, along with other anti-meth initiatives passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, was packaged with the Patriot Act on Thursday.

"With limited weeks available this year, this [the Patriot Act] was a legislative vehicle that was moving through the process quickly," said Talent spokesman Rich Chrismer. While the meth act passed unanimously in the Senate and failed the House, the Patriot Act passed in both chambers, he said.

The legislation is similar to a law already passed in Oklahoma, after which Missouri also modelled its anti-meth law. In addition to restrictions on sales of methamphetamine precursors, additional components of the package will:

* Provide an additional $99,000,000 per year for the next five years under the Meth Hot Spots program.

* Enhance international enforcement of meth trafficking.

* Provide services for children affected by the spread of meth.

* Enhance environmental regulation of methamphetamine by-products.

* Provide tools to prosecute meth cooks and traffickers.

As a result of more than 15 years of meth-busting experience and a Missouri anti-meth law that passed in July, meth lab busts in Southeast Missouri are down to one or two a month, compared to five to eight in previous years, said Sgt. Kevin Glaser, director of the SEMO Drug Task Force.

However, "we've got a couple leaks in the dam that we've got to stop up," he said, referring to Illinois and Arkansas, where similar meth laws are pending. The federal meth bill hinder pseudo-ephedrine traffic from the two states, Glaser said.

jmetelski@semissourian.com