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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 24, 2004 Pharmacist Tim Lichlyter of Black Oak Pharmacy must place cold medicines in a secure spot before a new state rule goes into effect Nov. 15. The rule was enacted to restrict access to products used to make methamphetamine. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Counter measure State efforts to stem the menace of meth reach the shelves of the local drugstore By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune As cold season looms near, Medford pharmacist Tim Lichlyter ponders the dozens of packs of decongestants that line several long shelves in his store. Within three weeks, a third of the cold medicines he sells at Black Oak Pharmacy must be moved to a secure spot following an emergency state ruling aimed at curbing access to products used to make methamphetamine. "It will affect all of this, all of those, that whole thing," says Lichlyter, gesturing to wide swaths of shelving. "It’s most of the stuff that says ‘cold.’ " In theory, Lichlyter agrees with the Oregon Board of Pharmacy’s Oct. 13 approval of a six-month restriction on products containing pseudoephedrine, which can be used to make illegal meth. "It makes it tougher to get," he says. The board enacted the emergency rule at the request of Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who called for the limits to address Oregon’s burgeoning methamphetamine problem. The governor hopes the state Legislature will enact permanent measures later. Advertisement "We simply cannot allow this to continue when we know there are options for us to take now to help stop the meth epidemic in Oregon," he testified at the pharmacy board hearing. In practice, Lichlyter and other retailers worry about the logistical demands of complying, the inconvenience to cold-suffering customers and the actual impact on small-scale meth production. At the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy in Medford, some customers can’t find their favorite remedy. "It is a hassle for some people who are looking all over for it," says Kris Dulac, a technician. Lichlyter is still trying to figure out how to squeeze space for cold medicines from his behind-the-counter racks. He hasn’t had problems with meth cooks stealing or buying drugs from his store. "I don’t know that it will make that big a difference," Lichlyter says. "That must be what we’ll find out in the next 180 days." Advocates for restrictions argue that they’re needed to combat meth, long a scourge of local families and communities. In Jackson County, three-quarters of drug cases involve meth, which is also a dominant contributor to property, identity and violent crimes — and the most common reason local children are placed in foster care. Medford Police Lt. Tim George says he "absolutely" supports the emergency measure. "It’s no secret people have been shoplifting large amounts of Sudafed in order to make meth," he says. "Retailers started to move it away from places where it was easier to steal. The next step is to make it a little more difficult to buy." The new rule is aimed at thwarting small-time meth cooks, who account for 15 to 20 percent of the supply. The bulk of methamphetamine sold and used locally is produced and distributed through huge labs in California and Mexico, law enforcement officials say. "It’s an opportunity for us to put a dent in it," George says. "If that will curb 15 to 20 percent of the market, good." Whether the new measure will discourage home meth cooks is questionable, some law enforcement and drug treatment experts contend. The immediate effect will likely be small, says Lt. Dewey Patten of the Jackson County Narcotics Enforcement Team. "It may make a little difference," he says. "My thoughts on it are if it helps, great. I’m willing to stand in line to buy cold pills." Retail representatives say the new measure creates an unfair monopoly for pharmacies to sell pseudoephedrine-only products. "We think it’s kind of a sweetheart deal and we don’t like that very much," says Joe Gilliam, president of the Oregon Grocery Association. He contends that the new rule unnecessarily limits consumer choice and is potentially confusing. "There’s three places to get the medicine," Gilliam says. "There’s gel cap and liquid on the shelf, customer service for the mixed products and the pharmacist for Sudafed." Consumers might overmedicate themselves with the easier-to-obtain mixed medicines, he says. Others might not be able to get the kind of cold medicine they want. But cold sufferer Arnie Green, who runs Community Works, a Medford social service agency, says the inconvenience is worth the potential benefit. "I am absolutely in favor of anything that helps stop the manufacture of meth," says Green, who’s at home nursing a stuffy nose, cough and sore throat. "It’s destroying a generation." The key to combating the meth crisis is to approach it from several angles, officials agree. "I think it needs to come from every possible direction," Patten says. "We can’t dry up all the meth on the street. It’s got to be enforcement, it’s got to be education, it’s got to be treatment." Targeting the addiction that creates the demand is essential, says Rita Sullivan, director of OnTrack Inc., a Medford drug agency. But limiting access to cold pills can be a valuable part of the effort, she says. "I don’t anticipate a huge impact," she says. "But with the dangerousness of this drug, even a modest impact is good. I’ll take it." The Rule Under emergency regulations approved this month by the Oregon Board of Pharmacy, consumers will be able to buy cold medicine tablets such as Sudafed only from licensed pharmacies. The rule restricts to pharmacies the sales of products in which pseudoephedrine is the sole active ingredient. It requires secure locations in stores for products in which pseudoephedrine is combined with other active ingredients such as acetaminophen. However, cold-sufferers still will be able to buy products containing pseudoephedrine in liquid or gel-tab form from open shelves. Liquids and gel caplets are more difficult than pills to convert to meth, experts say. Consumers will be required to show valid state identification for the products. Retailers are not required to log information, although that could become a requirement under a permanent regulation. The new rule takes effect Nov. 15. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities