Common sense about meth

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September 14, 2011

The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Thu Sep 15, 2011, 11:13 PM CDT

CULLMAN — A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. — Mark Twain

Cullman County District Judge Kim Chaney cast a glaring light on the methamphetamine problem during an interview last week.

Chaney talked about deep addiction, broken lives, disrupted families and death. But he carried the conversation farther when he offered that steps need to be taken immediately to convert pseudoephedrine — a key ingredient in meth manufacturing — to prescription-only status. The judge also has support from Sheriff Mike Rainey in this viewpoint.

The idea of making pseudoephedrine a prescription-based product is not new. Mississippi and Oregon recently imposed similar regulations which, according to multiple news reports, has reduced meth-related arrests. Without the main ingredient, meth makers are forced to look out of state for the product or find a way to give up the highly addictive habit.

Pseudoephredrine is now a behind the counter drug that customers must request and sign for with a pharmacist. Meth makers have quickly learned to use associates to purchase the drug at various locations. For areas like Cullman County, the problems of manufacturing and addiction have not declined.

Making pseudoephredrine a prescription drug will become an inconvenience for customers who use the product for normal purposes. Some users say that going to a physician just to get a prescription would be costly, too. Nevertheless, just because a product like pseudoephedrine is sold over the counter does not change the fact that it is a drug. And no one has ground to argue against the deep infiltration of meth into society. Physicians can write prescription for lengthy refills for those who need a particular drug.

Pharmaceuticals companies are also quick to object to attempts to regulate the sale or distribution of their products. But their arguments hold no weight against the fact that this product is a leading ingredient in meth. And meth is ruining the lives of too many people.

No one is asking pseudoephedrine to go away. But slinging a few boxes of the product into a shopping bag at the check-out counter is too casual for a problem so large. The American obsession with medication has gone too far. Like Twain's cat, we've been carrying it by the tail too long.

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