Meth problem debate hits crossroads

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The debate over the best way to stop Indiana’s growing methamphetamine problem may have hit a crossroads. Lawmakers are now considering two radically different potential solutions, and each comes with its own new dose of controversy.

In 2011, police officers across Indiana took down more than 1,395 active meth labs. Only officers in Missouri found more.

It’s been an ongoing battle for more than a decade that’s hit many Midwest states especially hard. Indiana lawmakers agree new steps need to be taken to cut down on the manufacturing and use of the dangerous drug.

For years, much of the battle against meth has boiled down to one of its key ingredients: pseudoephedrine or ephedrine.

It’s easily found in many cold and allergy medicines.

Since 2005, Indiana has been tracking pseudoephedrine purchases, and last year the state’s system went “high tech.” Investigators now use real-time computerized tracking of the medicines through a system called “The National Precursor Log Exchange” or NPLEx. The makers of the system tout that it blocked more than 530,000 grams of pseudoephedrine from being illegally sold during the first three months of its use in 2011 alone.

But, some lawmakers say it’s not been enough to stop the still rapidly growing rate of meth manufacturing in Indiana.

So, they've come up with two new radically different solutions.

"What our bill does is limit the amount you can purchase on a yearly basis,” said Sen. Carlin Yoder (R-Middlebury). “We already have monthly limits. Now, we're taking it to a yearly level as well so we can control it better. Adding the yearly basis to it means you can't purchase 12 months of this.”

Under Yoder's bill, Hoosiers could only purchase 72 grams of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine a year. That's about 10 months worth of "normal" doses

“And, the idea is that you're not going to use that every day of every month,” Yoder said.

The bill would also create higher felony levels for those caught buying illegal amounts of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, and it explores the creation of a registry to track those convicted of methamphetamine related crimes when they are released from prison to prevent them from buying the product, Yoder said.

But, others say 72 grams is still too much.

"My bill limits it to 28.8 grams,” said Representative Ron Bacon (R-Chandler). “28.8 grams would give an individual four months worth a year. So, if you have seasonal allergies, which is what 90 percent of people use it for, then four months should take care of that problem for you.”

If a patient needed more medication than that, Bacon’s bill would let cities or counties decide if they would have to go see a doctor to get additional doses.

“It would give the unit of government—the city, county, or area--to have the ability to pass their own ordinance to make pseudoephedrine a prescription drug. If you are a horrible allergy sufferer, you need to be under a doctor's care,” Bacon said.

But, some doctors say that could cause even more problems.

“It's going to overburden our offices with patients trying to get in a get a prescription. It's going to encumber and burden our patients with increased costs. And, the last thing we want to do these days is increase the cost of medical care,” said Dr. Richard Feldman, a family practitioner, and spokesman for the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians, Indiana State Medical Association, and Indiana State Osteopathic Association.

“They're going to have to make a doctor's appointment. There's going to be increased cost of the prescription medication. They're going to have to pay for child care and missed work potentially. 450,000 patients in Indiana use pseudoephedrine. This is a law enforcement issue, not a medical one,” Feldman continued.

Most patients don't appear to want the change either.

A 2010 Asthma and Allergy Foundation study found 71 percent oppose the idea of making pseudoephedrine a prescription drug.

But, that didn't stop lawmakers in Oregon and Mississippi from doing it anyway.

“And, they have seen a reduction in their meth labs, and pretty significantly,” said Indiana State Police First Sergeant Niki Crawford. “NPLEX provides information to law enforcement. But, unfortunately, at this time, it hasn't been able to reduce our meth labs.”

“While I would grant you that meth labs have gone down in [Oregon], meth use, for some reason, has not gone down [there] at all. That makes you wonder where they're getting their meth. And, I think we know. It's coming out of Mexico and California. So, Oregon has not solved their problem in any way, shape or form, and they've made it much more inconvenient for their innocent citizens to go buy this product,” Yoder said.

ISP is not advocating for either bill, Crawford said. But, the agency agrees additional steps are needed.

“We need to take the next step, to say--OK, these are the things we've tried. We've looked at what the results are. Let's see if these next steps can give us a more positive result,”