Lawmakers Face Choice On How To Slow Meth Production

Infighting continued at the Tennessee state legislature Monday over what to do about an increase in illegal methamphetamine production.

Last year the state logged a record number of busts of homemade labs which use ingredients from cold medicines to make meth.

Lawmakers face competing legislation to address the issue.

Drug-makers and pharmacies want an electronic tracking system. They say it would make it harder for illegal purchases of pseudo-ephedrine to take place. Plus, they’re willing to front the cost of setting up the electronic system and make it available free of charge to law enforcement.

Carlos Gutierrez represents the Consumer Health Care Products Association.

“Real time tracking of purchases. It would block the illegal sale of pseudo-ephedrine once someone has reached their limits.”

The system is called National Precursor Log Exchange, or “N-Plex,”. It has a big advantage in a tight budget year – in that the state doesn’t have to pay for it.

But Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn says electronic tracking is not enough. He favors putting cold remedy pseudo-ephedrine on the list of prescription only drugs.

“When you look at both systems, and we’ve looked closely at both of them, it seems to me that making it a prescription drug is absolutely the only way that we can go if we’re going to reduce meth labs in this state.”

Gwyn says that meth-cookers find ways around the paper-log system which now tracks the sale of the pseudo-ephedrine. He says even in states with an electronic system, meth use has still gone up.

Gutierrez countered by saying the state needs to make sure it’s not inconveniencing Tennesseans who just want to fight off a cold.