By Associated Press
Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, founder of the anti-drug task force Operation UNITE, said a proposal pending in the Kentucky General Assembly is crucial to curbing the state's meth problem. The proposal, similar to laws already in place in at least two states, would restrict sales of medications containing pseudoephedrine, which is the key ingredient in meth.
"We can't ignore the potential for this legislation to nearly eliminate meth labs in Kentucky, as reports are showing it has already done in Oregon and Mississippi," said Rogers, a Somerset Republican.
Rogers, who chairs the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, attacked the prescription pill trade in the mountains of eastern Kentucky seven years ago. He said police now are having to spend too much time dealing with the toxins from meth labs.
The 16-term congressman sent a guest column to Kentucky newspapers this week backing legislation sponsored by state Sen. Tom Jenson, R-London.
Republicans and Democrats have expressed support for such a proposal, despite strong opposition from industry groups, including the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. It spent more than $300,000 lobbying last year against similar legislation.
With more than 1,100 meth labs discovered in Kentucky over the past year and a growing numbers of injuries and deaths, state lawmakers should be motivated to take action, Rogers said.
"Over the years, pseudoephedrine sales were limited and electronically tracked, but still we found hundreds of new meth labs every year," Rogers said. "Our goal should be to eliminate the labs, not to find more."
In the newspaper column, Rogers refers to the meth problem as "another horrendous drug epidemic" spreading across Kentucky.
"Meth has become so commonplace that manufacturers can make it virtually anywhere, any time in a one-step process," he wrote. "It is so simple and cheap, that they can go to any local store that sells common household products like drain cleaner, batteries, purchase their limit of pseudoephedrine and mix the ingredients in a 20 oz. plastic soda bottle."