editorial comment Yetr another step in the road to serfdom.....

OKLAHOMA CITY (cnhi) — Gov. Brad Henry sent a letter Wednesday to the governors of the 49 other states to encourage them to implement legislation restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine, which is used as a key ingredient in the production of methamphetamine.

Henry said he wanted other states — especially those neighboring Oklahoma — to consider adopting a law similar to or mirroring the one in Oklahoma, which passed this year. Since the law took effect in April, Henry said, there has been almost a 50 percent reduction in the number of meth lab seizures compared with the same period in 2003.

The Oklahoma law requires identification and a signature for anyone purchasing pseudoephedrine tablets from behind the counter at pharmacies, the only location the tablets can be purchased. Gel caps and the liquid form are still available over the counter.

According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, 423 meth labs were seized in Oklahoma from April through July of last year.

During that same time frame in 2004, there were 263 catalogued cases.

Henry said this showed the effectiveness of the law and he encouraged other states to adopt similar legislation. Henry said it was believed that some of the “mom and pop” shops for meth in Oklahoma were temporarily relocating in border states and then moving back after purchasing the pseudoephedrine.

Henry called methamphetamine a “scourge” in Oklahoma and the most “insidious, dangerous drug on the market today.”

He said the drug changes how people act once they are addicted.

“It will literally seize control of your life,” Henry said.

OBN Director Lonnie Wright said law enforcement agents had been looking at pseudoephedrine as the way to stop the spread of meth and were confident that restricting it as a purchasable item would cut into the production of the dangerous drug.

“As it turns out, it was the right thing to do,” Wright said.

Kevin Ward, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said he believed the option made available to judges to not allow for a bond was beneficial as well. Ward said the Oklahoma Highway Patrol had lost some quality troopers due to meth addicts who had been turned loose.

Ward gave the example of Trooper Pat Fike, who confronted a meth addict in the Woodward area. Despite having a significant physical advantage over the man, Fike was injured before being able to confine the man.

“He was barely able to overcome that resistance,” Ward said.

The man was held in the county jail without bond due to the new law.

Ward said this was able to prevent the man from getting back out on the street and getting his hands on more meth.

Wright said he had visited several states to encourage them to pass legislation based on the Oklahoma law.

Henry said he also wanted the federal government to consider passing a national law.

“I hope our federal government will see the wisdom in this and follow suit,” Henry said.

Oklahoma is one of many states that had experienced growth in the number of meth labs prior to the passage of the law.

The hope is that the other states can experience the downward trend occurring in Oklahoma as a result of the regulation of pseudoephedrine, the governor said.


by Jeff Packham

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