Meth remains an issue despite prescription laws

In an effort to curb the growth of methamphetamine labs, many Missouri cities and counties have enacted laws to make one of meth's ingredients less accessible.

Since December 2010, pseudoephedrine has been available by prescription only in Cape Girardeau. Six years on, there are fewer local labs, but meth remains one of the most popular drugs in Southeast Missouri; the number of court cases involving meth nearly doubled from 2014 to 2015. This has left many people frustrated -- those trying to keep crime down as well as those who need access to pseudoephedrine for its intended purpose as an allergy medication.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of St. Louis believes good people are restricted from buying Sudafed and other similar drugs, Joy Krieger, the organization's executive director, recently told Southeast Missourian reporter Ben Kleine.

"Now would be a time to consider removing these ordinances," Krieger said.

In the meantime, those who rely on pseudoephedrine must choose between paying for a visit to the doctor, or paying for the gas to travel to an area where the medicine is available over the counter.

However, local law enforcement says the law is working -- nearly 95 percent of the area's meth is imported mainly from Mexico, according to SEMO Drug Task Force director Mark McClendon.

Richard McCall of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said the city's ordinance is one way for law enforcement "to stay one step ahead of the bad guys."

A Missouri statute going into affect in January will require pharmacists to sell drugs containing pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine from behind the counter, where the public has no access. But a prescription will not be required.

Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs told Kleine the Jackson Board of Alderman would only consider removing his city's ordinance is if the opinion of law enforcement changed.

"I'll take the guidance of the SEMO Drug Task Force," Hahs said.

Because meth labs are dangerous by nature, with the potential for the spread of poisonous residue and explosions, the fact that the area has fewer labs is good news indeed. Time will tell if the state statute will lead to a further decrease in labs. If so, there may soon be a benefit to revisiting local ordinances.

In the meantime, efforts should be made to stem the flow of illegal drugs into Missouri from their sources.