A New Weapon Against Meth Abuse
A pilot program goes after meth "runners"
The federal drug czar's office has shown preliminary interest in a new Internet-based program from an Australian maker to track pharmacy purchases of pseudoephedrine, which can be abused to make methamphetamine. "There was interest," said MethShield maker Shaun Singleton.
But first, Singleton is testing in Kansas the system that's credited with cutting by half the number of methamphetamine labs in parts of Australia's Queensland state. After that, he will make a further case to the U.S. government that this method will help reduce meth abuse.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas State Board of Pharmacy joined this month to put a pilot MethShield program in place. Singleton says that his program alerts local police every time a purchase of pseudoephedrine, used in products such as Sudafed, is made. The aim is not to track individual purchases but to determine if a pattern of buys by meth "runners" is emerging.
Since 2006, U.S. law has banned over-the-counter sales of cold medicines that contain the ingredient pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed. Regulations put restrictions on sales, including requiring photo ID. Alternative formulations that are not prone to abuse, such as Sudafed PE, continue to be sold without restrictions.
MethShield targets meth runners who bounce from drugstore to drugstore to buy enough to make the illegal drug. Once a pattern is discovered, Singleton said, police can set up a sting at the store where the next purchase is expected.
He said that a key issue in making the program a national one is whether it will be controlled and operated locally, by states or by federal authorities. "It's always about who is going to run these things," he said.
Reader Comments
Purchase of Alavert D
As a 73 year old, I was appalled that my dirver license was taken out of my wallet and run though a machine with out any explanation except that I was being checked on how much sudafed I had bought. I suppose that I am now on the watch list for drug production. 1984 is late.
"while i do agree that we are loosing the war on drugs, to say that an addict will travel to another country to find his fix is a bit absurd. Im open to the implimentation of this new program. weve been waging war on this subject since reagan was in office and where has it gotten us? this is an unconventional war that calls for untried methods."
Actually, we've been fighting this "War on Drugs" since Nixon, and it's been recklessly and dangerously ramped up ever since even though it's clearly not working. We definitely need to come to some new ideas about society, about life, and much more. The booming industry that builds and operate many of our prisons (and virtually any and all new ones created) LOBBIED THE GOVERNMENT to get mandatory minimum sentencing requirements put in place for drug offenses. A rapist can get off with probation, but even a totally non-violent offender of many drug laws will have to serve every minute of a mandatory minimum sentence. When the prisons get overcrowded and they have to start releasing people? They can't release the people with mandatory minimums. Out come the violent criminals, and it's doing NOTHING to solve anyone's drug problems. You can get any drug you want in prison too.
Why would they spend those billions of dollars on treatment and research for drug addiction(s)? There's too much money in the current arrangement for certain people, and that's all that matters.
Made in Mexico? NAFTA
Roughly 90% of all Meth on the street is produced in Mexico.
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