Cracking down on meth

Tonight the Cape Girardeau City Council will vote on an ordinance to determine whether to require a prescription for the purchase of products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. The Missouri General Assembly will consider a similar measure in the upcoming session. I encourage both the General Assembly and city council to pass such a law based on the following information.

* There are two types of methamphetamine: P2P methamphetamine and D-methamphetamine. P2P methamphetamine is almost impossible to make now due to one of its ingredients being tightly controlled. D-methamphetamine is one of the most addictive drugs in existence, and it has the least successful rate for rehabilitation when compared to cocaine or heroin.

* One gram of cocaine costs about $100 on the street, but it can be cooked for $30. One gram of cocaine will produce about three highs for a user, typically lasting 30 minutes each. One gram of meth will produce three highs for the user that will last up to 24 hours each.

* D-methamphetamine can only be made using ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

* I have used products containing pseudoephedrine for sinus headaches for more than 25 years, and they work. I have never used them for more than a couple of days at a time. These products clearly state to see a physician if symptoms persist.

* Contrary to what the lobbyist purchasing advertisements would lead you to believe, not all cold medicines would require a prescription. Only cold medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine would require a prescription. There are only about a dozen products out of the 70 plus available over-the-counter that contain ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. The lobbyist would have you believe that monitoring sales of these products is the way to go. Smurfing, as it is commonly called, defeats this system everyday. In days gone by, cocaine, morphine, heroin and Quaaludes were all promoted openly in products sold by pharmaceutical companies. When it was determined that misuse and addiction was commonplace, they were regulated.

* Before 1976, all products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine required a prescription to obtain. At that time, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warned the FDA not to approve over-the-counter sales of products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine because D-methamphetamine would be produced from them. In 2002 I asked Senator Jim Talent if it were possible to pass federal legislation to place ephedrine and pseudoephedrine back on the list of drugs requiring a prescription. Senator Talent agreed this was necessary, but he said it didn't stand a chance of passing due to the pharmaceutical lobby.

* The D-methamphetamine method of production was imported from Mexico around 1990, but when the Internet came about, the recipe on how to produce the drug went worldwide. Everything the cook needed to produce the drug was available at the local pharmacy and hardware store. D-methamphetamine cooking continued to spread like wildfire, especially here in Missouri where we have been first in the seizure of these labs for 10 years in a row.

* The sales of products containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine that are being sold for illicit D-methamphetamine production dwarf those being purchased by legitimate users.

Missouri is the battle line for the pharmaceutical lobby. If Missouri passes a prescription law, the rest of the country will likely follow.

John D. Jordan is the sheriff of Cape Girardeau County.