State official: Meth manufacturing down, personal use up

By Katie Brown, Journal staff | Saturday, February 24, 2007

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RAPID CITY — It has taken a bit more effort to purchase medicine containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine since July 1, but state Division of Criminal Investigation officials said methamphetamine manufacturing in the state is down.

DCI supervisory special agent Pat West would not speculate on whether legislation enacted July 1 regulating the purchase of medicines commonly used to make meth has made the difference.

Unfortunately, West said, possession of meth for personal use is on the rise.

“The main problem in South Dakota is not labs but people bringing it (meth) in,” he said.

West said in that 2006, there were 522 people arrested in South Dakota for meth-related crimes, 88 of which were in Pennington County.

The amount of meth seized in the state was 25.28 pounds.

“That’s a lot,” West said.

Meth has a street value of about $12,000 to $16,000 a pound.

West said that the chemical process used to extract ephedrine from pseudoephedrine, which is a main ingredient for meth, is hazardous.

“That chemical process is extremely flammable and extremely dangerous if inhaled,” he said.

There were nine meth labs reported in the state in

2006.

West said those actually consisted of meth dump sites and that no “super labs” are known to exist in South Dakota. Super labs are meth labs where a pound or more of drugs is manufactured during a cooking session.

Meth is a synthetic, highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous system. It increases heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and rate of breathing. It dilates the pupils, produces euphoria, increased alertness and a sense of increased energy.

West said smoking and injecting are the most common ways meth is used. It can also be snorted.

Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are used mainly in decongestants, such as Claritin D, Nyquil and Sudafed.

An individual customer may not buy more than two packages of medicine containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine as an active ingredient.

The law also requires retailers to place such products behind a counter or in a locked case, so the customer must ask a store employee for assistance.

The retailer must also post a notice saying state law prohibits the purchase of more than two packages of products containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine.

When buying medicine containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, customers must provide photo identification.

Curt Rising, owner and manager of the Medicine Shoppe in Rapid City, said documenting pseudoephedrine purchases means a little more work for his employees but that it hasn’t been a big problem.

“We’ve only had a couple people complain,” Rising said. “They’re all, for the most part, understanding.”

As of July 1, customers must show a picture ID and sign on a sheet of paper, logging the purchase. Every month, that log — containing name, address, birth date, dates of sales and amount of medicine purchased — is submitted to the state Attorney General’s Office.

Sara Rabern, spokesperson for the state Attorney General’s Office, said only one person has been maintaining the multitude of logs that come in each month from pharmacies throughout the state.

Rabern said there is no electronic system for filing the logs.

The approximately 25 products containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine carried at the Medicine Shoppe are behind the counter. Rising said it requires more time to follow the new law but that it is worth it.

“It’s more paperwork, but I understand it, and I’m willing to do that,” Rising said.

Jo Prang, owner of Medicap Pharmacy in Rapid City, said her pharmacy carries about 30 products containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine. They are placed behind a counter where customers can see them but cannot reach them.

“It’s been kind of a nuisance, but (customers) understand it and are willing to do it for the sake of keeping the number of meth labs down in South Dakota,” Prang said.

She said her pharmacy sells less of these products than it did before the law was enacted.

“We’re selling less of those products because of their location in the store and some people not wanting to put their name and phone number on the list,” Prang said.

She said when more states began enacting legislation, some medicine manufacturers changed their formulas to use alternatives. She said many customers find those alternatives ineffective.

“For a good share of people, those alternatives just don’t work,” Prang said. “But people just don’t want their information on the lists.”

Contact Katie Brown at 394-8318 or katie.brown@rapidcityjournal.com