Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Missouri Meth Problem Causes House GOP to Consider Stricter Drug Sales

    By William Browning | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Sun, Jan 22, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    Missouri already has a law on the books that requires purchases of over-the-counter cold medications to be monitored by scanning someone's driver's license. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Republicans in the Missouri House of Representatives have introduced a bill reducing the amount of pseudoephedrine consumers in Missouri can purchase per month and per year.

    Here's a look at why the General Assembly is considering the legislation this year, based upon what Missouri's meth problem did in 2011.

    Sheriff Busted for Dealing Meth

    The New York Daily News reported in April that Tommy Adams was the sheriff of Carter County, a rural part of south central Missouri. He was arrested after two years on the job for trafficking meth.

    Adams allegedly gave an informant the drug and then used it himself. He ran for sheriff in 2008 and won by a single vote when his Democratic opponent committed suicide two weeks before the election. Missouri officials became suspicious when meth raids fell dramatically in Adams' county, even though there has been a huge meth problem there in the past.

    St. Charles County Requires Prescription

    St. Charles County took matters into their own hands. Just west of St. Louis, St. Charles County required anyone within its borders to get a prescription for drugs containing pseudoephedrine beginning Aug. 30. The Columbia Missourian reported in late October that sales of the drugs increased in St. Louis County when the law went into effect.

    Towns such as Bridgeton, Chesterfield and Maryland Heights all saw spikes in psuedoephedrine sales in September. That spike was attributed to citizens going to the next county over to get cold medication.

    Meth Labs Top 2,100

    Although official statistics have yet to be released, the Springfield News-Leader reports that meth lab busts in Missouri are expected to top 2,100 for 2011. That figure would push Missouri back into the number one state for meth production. Last year, the Show-Me State was second to Kentucky in meth busts after years of being in the top spot.

    The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be looking to increase restrictions on ingredients for meth. This move comes even though drug companies are claiming cold medications will be taken away from law abiding citizens who simply want to get relief from cold and flu season.

    Jefferson County's Situation

    USA Today reports Jefferson County, just south of St. Louis, leads Missouri's meth lab busts. Through Nov. 28, that particular area of Missouri had 234 meth lab seizures of the official 1,744 busts across the state. That turns out to be over 13 percent of the statewide meth problem in just one county.

    If the General Assembly passes the new bill introduced in the current session, new limits will be in place for the sale of pseudeoephedrine. Monthly limits in place now restrict consumers to purchasing nine grams of the drug per month and 108 grams per year. The new limits, if passed, would lower the monthly limit to 7.5 grams and the annual limit would be 75 grams. A measure last year to require a prescription state-wide passed the House but failed in the Missouri Senate.

    William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.

     

    73 comments

    • UnknownPlanet
      UnknownPlanet  •  4 mths ago
      The idea is to criminalize innocuous behavior to make everyone a nation of criminals.
    • J
      J  •  4 mths ago
      So, let me make sure I understand: Restricting the freedoms of law-abiding citizens hasn't worked as meth labs/busts have thrust MO back into the #1 spot in the nation, so to combat this, they're going to restrict the freedoms of law-abiding citizens even more tightly? I'm thinking this plan isn't going to work.

      The citizens of MO should be fighting back on this. "Those who would give up freedom for security don't deserve either." (
    • LtDanhasnolegs
      LtDanhasnolegs  •  4 mths ago
      Meth kills slowly from the inside out..Starting with the soul
      • ladywadefisher
        ladywadefisher 4 mths ago
        From what I have seen on tv, doesn't it age you quite rapidly? I saw some really scary photos
      • robert
        robert 4 mths ago
        Methamphetamine is a soul-stealing trap of a drug.
    • larry
      larry  •  Billings, Montana  •  4 mths ago
      PREVENTION is cheaper and more effective than eradication. As long as there is demand, there will be supply one way or another.
      • robert
        robert 4 mths ago
        End cannabis prohibiton and divert more resources to prevention and treatment for meth users and stiffer prosecution for manufacture and sales.
    • mark
      mark  •  Odessa, Texas  •  4 mths ago
      They cracked down on meth by restricting P2P. Then they quit selling straight ephedrine tablets. Then they made is so every time I get a cold, I have to give some schmuck at Walgreens my !#$% drivers license to buy a box of psuedoephedrine. Meth cookers will just back up a step on precursors. Or, since many have figured out it costs SOOOO much less, they'll just start buying from the Mexican cartels. Go ahead, Missouri, invite the Zetas into your marketplace.
    • jon
      jon  •  4 mths ago
      Back 20 years ago when Meth was first introduced then President Bush SR outlawed the main ingredient for meth. The next day leaders and lobbyist for the RX companies went to the white house. 3 days later Bush Sr flip flopped on the deal. DEA was unhappy and noe the problem is worst. Thanks Bush.
      • robert
        robert 4 mths ago
        'Crank' has been around since the 1950's/1960's and wasn't 'introduced' 20 years ago there sparky...and considering the level of heroin trafficking by the CIA in the 1960's and beyond it just shows the hypocrisy of cannabis prohibition when the real danger is substances like meth and prescription opiates.
      • mark
        mark 4 mths ago
        The oldest reference I've hear to meth was from Aleister Crowley. He called a friend "The Earl of Coke and Crankum". In 1913.
      • Helmbock
        Helmbock 4 mths ago
        The main ingredient in question is one that at the time everyone who had a cold or hay fever used. Do you understand how much misery would have been caused by banning Pseudoephedrine at that time? It was in freakin' Robitussin for God's sake!

        These days they have developed substitute decongestants (e.g. Phenylephrine), so it's not a big deal to restrict the sales of Pseudoephedrine, but then it would have been a disaster for millions....

        Seriously, dude, buy a clue on an issue before you shoot your mouth off!
    • AnkleSpin6.022E23
      AnkleSpin6.022E23  •  4 mths ago
      Drug abuse is bad, but Drug Prohibition is worse. Prohibitionists use public health and safety concerns as a guise so that they can exploit the problem, not fix it. The billions of dollars wasted fighting Drug Prohibition should go towards fighting real crimes, like theft, rape, and murder. Drug Prohibition is fraught with corruption and hypocrisy. The police use drug dealers as informants; they snitch on competing drug dealers. Many drug arrests are decoys to let the real shipments through. There are private prisons. Prisons and drug rehabs push for laws that send them more "clients." The police seize assets from drug offenders without needing convictions using civil asset forfeiture laws. Drug offenders comprise a growing underclass; stigmatized by their drug records, they are unable to gain meaningful employment. The War on Drugs has increased taxes, crime, health problems, drug abuse, and abuses of the citizenry at the hands of both the authorities and criminals.

      We can either have a society that is free from illegal drugs, or a society that is free; we cannot have both. The only honest and (more) effective way to deal with drugs entails using education and research to reduce their harms and treating addiction medically, not criminally. Look up LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) to learn more about why the drug laws are worse for society than the drugs they proscribe.
      • Bill L
        Bill L 4 mths ago
        So the alternative is? Let it happen and end up with a country similar to whats happening in mexico? They chose to ignor the problem and this is what happened, no thank you.
        Most crimes not all though are in some form or fashion connected to drugs...so I don't buy the waste of money fighting drugs theory.
      • Richarda
        Richarda 4 mths ago
        Great. If alcohol abuse isn't bad enough, let's turn meth into a "social drug". How much fun will the advertisers have selling meth to the poor and the young ?
      • AnkleSpin6.022E23
        AnkleSpin6.022E23 4 mths ago
        Prohibition did not work for alcohol, and it is not working for other drugs. Just because Drug Prohibition would be ended, it would not mean that illegal drug use would have to be promoted. Safer alternatives could be promoted for (currently) illegal drugs. For instance, using coca leaves (made into a tea or chewed) is less dangerous and addictive than cocaine HCl and base; some studies have shown that it may be a useful replacement for methamphetamine as well. Cannabinoids may have the potential to treat addiction and many other diseases (look up CBD [cannabidiol], US Patent #6,630,507, and Irvin Rosenfeld's book "My Medicine" to learn more). Cannabis can be less dangerous than many legal drugs; to continue to punish people for using it is hypocrisy.

        The problems with organized crime syndicates, south of the border and globally, result from their increased profits and power obtained from the War on (Some) Drugs; the same could be said for the authorities, as their enforcement (and endorsement) of ineffective drug laws takes a toll on all of society. It has been shown repeatedly that Prohibition either exacerbates the problems associated with drugs or causes the problems to exist to begin with. Studies in Portugal and elsewhere have shown that harm reduction policies can reduce the problems associated with drug use better than Prohibition. We cannot arrest our way out from the problems associated with drug abuse, especially when one considers the legal and illegal forms of corruption found in the Drug War I mentioned before. The War on (Some) Drugs is a War on the Citizenry.
    • mikem
      mikem  •  St Louis, Missouri  •  4 mths ago
      Here we go again more law abiding citizens having a harder time to get cold medicines while the republicans kids just go smurfing to illi to get their ingredients oh joy.
    • Robert
      Robert  •  Kansas City, Missouri  •  4 mths ago
      The list of stuff that goes into making meth sounds like it ought to explode when
      mixed together,be better off banging up Drano.
      • robert
        robert 4 mths ago
        Drano does not have the active ingredient 'ephedrine' that is seperated from the binders and other ingredients.
      • Anonymous
        Anonymous 4 mths ago
        The stuff does explode, pretty often.
    • Ragman
      Ragman  •  4 mths ago
      For "gods" sake let the fools kill themselves off.....I have a sinus problem and have to sign my life away to get something to help me breathe! Make it harder for people like me!
    • Grand Imam O'Reilly
      Grand Imam O'Reilly  •  4 mths ago
      And let the Mexican cartels corner the market? No way. Buy Made in America.
    • Harold
      Harold  •  San Francisco, California  •  4 mths ago
      Let's see--laws controlling the sale of cold medicine aren't working so let's make it even more restrictive. Yes--that should work.
    • mike
      mike  •  Santa Rosa, California  •  4 mths ago
      Ban people from making their own meth and the mexican cartels will just have a bigger slice of the market.
    • mitchell
      mitchell  •  Sandstone, Minnesota  •  4 mths ago
      LEGALIZE MARIJUANA.
    • StevemM
      StevemM  •  Corvallis, Oregon  •  4 mths ago
      Sooo Politicians are "supposed" to be the smart ones....So when the hell are these idiots going to realise CROOKS WILL STILL GET THE PRODUCT PERIOD. All you are doing is making it more difficult for HONOST people to get #$%$ O look so you arrested the drug dealer. Guess what he's out THE NEXT #$%$ DAY DUE TO OVERCROWDING. Godamn I swear the Politicians are the stupidest people on earth
    • KC Drummer
      KC Drummer  •  Washington, District of Columbia  •  4 mths ago
      The stats tell me that law enforcement is aggresive in catching these people. What good are more laws going to have when most of them work together to beat them by sending out friends and family to buy the stuff. Only stupid people use Meth - do we really need them?
    • MZLAUREL
      MZLAUREL  •  4 mths ago
      You can still BUY this?
      Really?
      Sounds like these folks must have stock in it!
    • Straw
      Straw  •  Spencerport, New York  •  4 mths ago
      Yeah, this will solve the drug problem. How about we just outlaw the politicans, aye.
    • Emilyrose3rd
      Emilyrose3rd  •  4 mths ago
      A very dumb thing to do. To get any prescription you have to go see the doctor. So..........if this goes through I have to go to my doctor at a cost of about $50 a crack and maybe an extra 5-6 times a year at an extra huge cost to me. No, I don't think so!
    • Sharon
      Sharon  •  Maryland Heights, Missouri  •  4 mths ago
      Maybe the nice government should focus on nailing the big dogs who is actually getting the big bucks from all the little fish in the sea. It doesn't matter what the government does the Meth users and makers will still find a way. Why punish the law abiding citizens more than you already are? More doctor bills, higher cost of over the counter medicines, is that what its all about for the government. People take these over the counter medicines to keep from going to the doctor. What a waste this government is, you make the citizens feel like they have no rights anymore.
     Post a comment
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

    News For You

    Loading...

    US News »

    • Wildfires hit six U.S. states, small towns evacuated Zelie Pollon
      Smoke rises into the air from a large forest fire in Gila National Forest, New Mexico

      Santa Fe, New Mexico (Reuters) - A wildfire burned out of control for a fourth day in the steep mountains of southwestern New Mexico on Saturday, one of several blazes that have consumed more than 200 square miles (520 square km) of rugged land in six U.S. states. Efforts to contain the blazes spreading in sparsely populated …

    • Subtropical Storm Beryl swirls toward southeast coast Kevin Gray

      MIAMI (Reuters) - Subtropical Storm Beryl moved slowly toward the U.S. southeastern coast on Saturday, threatening heavy rains and dangerous surf for Memorial Day weekend beachgoers in northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Beryl was centered about 220 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, carrying …

    • Gunman in Indiana standoff had three bullet wounds: coroner
      Snipers sit trained on a real estate office where authorities said a gunman was holding an unknown number of hostages in Valparaiso

      (Reuters) - A Texas gunman who held hostages in an eight-hour standoff with police in an Indiana real estate office suffered three gunshot wounds, including two to the head, a coroner said on Saturday. Police have said he shot himself twice in the head after the standoff on Friday in Valparaiso, about 40 miles southeast …

    • Colorado farm linked to listeria outbreak files for bankruptcy Keith Coffman

      DENVER (Reuters) - The Colorado farm that grew cantaloupes linked to a listeria outbreak that killed more than 30 people last year has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, court documents showed. Jensen Farms of Holly, Colorado, listed $2.1 million in assets and more than $2.5 million in liabilities in documents …

    • Woman shot by Colorado homeowner to face trespass charges

      (Reuters) - A 21-year-old woman who was shot after she wandered drunk into a Colorado couple's home in the middle of the night will face charges of felony trespassing, her lawyer said on Saturday. Zoey Ripple walked through an unlocked screen door leading into the bedroom of the couple, who said they shouted for her to …

     
    One money saving tip you probably haven't tried
    Add your ideas and help make it happen. Join the conversation.
    Episode 11: Hard times for Hometown Hardware
    Should Bill and Donna take on more risk to boost their business?
    One small business owner surprises Bill and Donna
    How Josh's comment on a Remake America video laid the groundwork for something bigger.
    Learn more about Remake America »