Mississippi, California take lead in battling meth epidemic. (On First Reading).The manufacture and use of methamphetamine in Mississippi may have surprised law enforcement when it skyrocketed in the 1990s, but lawmakers have taken crucial steps to fight the drug problem. The state now outlaws possession of two or more chemicals (precursors) needed to make meth. Before, even if a suspect had a car trunk full of meth ingredients and a recipe on the passenger seat, authorities say they couldn't make an arrest. California was the first state to pass tough precursor laws--and they are working. Federal prosecutors obtained a first-in-the-nation judgment in April against a California convenience store owner who bought large amounts of decongestants Decongestants Definition Decongestants are medicines used to relieve nasal congestion (stuffy nose). Purpose A congested or stuffy nose is a common symptom of colds and allergies. that could be used to make methamphetamine. Investigators tracked store deliveries and inventory for six months, showing he purchased 544,000 nasal decongestant nasal decongestant An oral or topically sprayed agent that ↓ swollen nasal mucosa, and facilitates breathing; NDs often cause a rebound effect, in which the Sx worsen when the ND is discontinued, due to tissue dependence on the drug tablets containing pseudoephedrine pseudoephedrine /pseu·do·ephed·rine/ (-e-fed´rin) one of the optical isomers of ephedrine; used as the hydrochloride or sulfate salt as a nasal decongestant. pseu·do·e·phed·rine n. , which is used to make meth. That was 53 times what a convenience store would be expected to buy, prosecutors said. The government successfully sued the business owner, settling the case for $50,000 and a permanent, lifetime injunction against the sale of the decongestants or any other ingredients that could be used to make methamphetamine. Georgians would not be able to have more than 300 doses of drugs that contain ephedrine ephedrine (ĭfĕd`rĭn, ĕf`ĭdrēn'), drug derived from plants of the genus Ephedra (see Pinophyta), most commonly used to prevent mild or moderate attacks of bronchial asthma. or pseudoephedrine under legislation approved this session. And Missouri lawmakers were considering restrictions on sales of over-the-counter cold medicines. RELATED ARTICLE: EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK ... The 23 drugs and chemicals found in household products considered precursors for making meth include: * Ether (starter fluid) * Anhydrous an·hy·drous adj. Without water, especially water of crystallization. anhydrous (anhī´drus), adj without water. anhydrous containing no water. ammonia (agriculture fertilizer or industrial refrigerant re·frig·er·ant adj. 1. Cooling or freezing; refrigerating. 2. Reducing fever. n. 1. A substance, such as air, ammonia, water, or carbon dioxide, used to provide cooling either as the working substance of ) * Pseudoephedrine or ephedrine (over-the-counter sinus medication) * Denatured alcohol denatured alcohol: see ethanol. (lantern fuel) * Lithium (camera batteries) * Sulfuric acid (Drano) Source: Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics |
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