editorial comment Once more on the road to serfdom. Conservatives are supposed to be for small government. That means LESS laws........

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - A proposal to help authorities crack down on the illegal methamphetamine trade by restricting access to over-the-counter medications would mean longer waits for cold medicines at Indiana's pharmacies.

People suffering from the common cold can currently buy medicines containing pseudoephedrine, an essential ingredient of meth, by grabbing a package off a pharmacy's shelf and paying for it.

But a state task force has proposed tight restrictions that would require a customer to go to the pharmacist's window, sign a log book and present a valid photo ID before getting the sniffle-relieving drug.

The number of packages each customer could buy in a month also might be restricted.

State Rep. Trent Van Haaften said such inconveniences are necessary to curb meth and its resulting social and financial costs.

"Without pseudoephedrine, you're not going to end up with the final product of meth," Van Haaften told the Evansville Courier & Press.

Van Haaften, D-Mount Vernon, served on Indiana's Methamphetamine Abuse Task Force, which issued a report two weeks ago recommending that the Indiana General Assembly change several state laws and restrict retail access to pseudoephedrine.

Meth is a highly addictive illegal stimulant brewed in crude home labs using pseudoephedrine, as well as anhydrous ammonia. Police say meth-cookers might visit multiple stores to obtain as many tablets as they can.

Many pharmacies already take voluntary steps to deter meth-cookers, such as stocking cold pills behind the counter instead of on the shelf.

But some retailers told the task force they are concerned about passing laws that regulate their shelf space or place more burdens on pharmacists, Van Haaften said.

The task force's recommendation are modeled on a new state law in Oklahoma, where decongestants still are purchased without a prescription but must be displayed behind the pharmacy counter. Customers have to show ID and sign a log book.

Since the law was passed in April, Oklahoma meth labs have dropped from an average of 103 found per month to 65 per month, according to published reports.

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