Meth fight goes national

Missouri's fight against methamphetamine is going national at a time when more cities are facing problems with the illegal and easy-to-make drug.

U.S. Sen. Jim Talent is promoting a bipartisan Combat Meth Act in Congress that would force all pseudoephedrine-containing drugs to be placed behind a pharmacy's counter. The bill also would allocate $30 million for the drug fight across the nation.

The legislation is similar to a law already in place in Oklahoma. Under the proposed federal bill, pseudoephedrine could only be sold by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, even though a prescription wouldn't be necessary.

Buyers would have a limit on the amount of drug they could purchase at one time, be required to show proof of identification and sign a registry.

It used to be that meth problems were found in rural areas of the country, but it's becoming an urban scourge as well. Cities like Atlanta, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., are seeing an upswing in meth users. The drug's long-lasting effect is part of its appeal, and the number of users and addicts is overtaking those hooked on cocaine, drug-enforcement officials say.

Talent knows that national legislation wouldn't end the drug problem, nor will it stop production of meth, but it could stop smaller operations and keep drug makers out of some neighborhoods.

Anything that makes it harder for illegal drug makers to get the ingredients for methamphetamine is a good idea as communities across the nation struggle with how to combat this problem.