TOUGHER RULES A GOOD MOVE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST METH

Ever seen a meth addict? It's not a pretty sight. She has dark circles
under her sunken eyes, and she's wasted away to nothing. He has sores all
over his face and his teeth and hair are falling out. They are easily
agitated, aggressive and paranoid because the drug overstimulates the
central nervous system and does other dangerous, destructive things to the body

People age fast on meth. Once addicted, they stop caring.

Methamphetamines are among the most addictive illegal drugs available
today, and Illinois has a serious meth problem. The Illinois State Police
found 959 meth labs last year, up from 24 in 1997.

You're not a meth addict, but their problem has become your inconvenience.
Already, people who need over-the-counter medicines for allergies or colds
may not be able to find them on pharmacy shelves. Store policies vary.
Starting Jan. 15, however, customers will have to ask store clerks for cold
and allergy medicines that contain ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, common
nasal decongestants that are used for meth production.

A law signed into effect last week by Gov. Rod Blagojevich requires stores
to put certain products behind counters. To buy the medicine, customers
have to be 18, show a photo ID and sign a log book. The meds are not a
problem as they are sold in the stores. The problem is what happens to them
when they get to a meth lab.

There are hundreds of so-called "recipes" for meth out there. The "cooks"
use common ingredients prepared through a dangerous process using toxic
and/or explosive chemicals, including ether, ammonia, lye, muriatic acid,
sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, paint thinner and drain cleaners.

In passing legislation, Illinois joined Oklahoma, Iowa, Wisconsin and
Missouri in cracking down on the meth problem. Illinois was the last to
act, making it what Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan called the "meth
shopping mall of the Midwest," as producers border-hopped from other states
to buy the necessary over-the-counter drugs here.

Now, Illinois' law is among the toughest in the Midwest. Fine.

It means that mom can't send her 16-year-old to the pharmacy to pick up his
allergy medicine. She'll have to go herself, show an ID and sign for it.
The inconvenience is a small price to pay for making it a little harder for
meth labs to operate here. It doesn't take the drug off the streets, but
the new law might make meth more expensive and a little harder to come by.

Maybe, just maybe, more people will be forced into treatment to confront
their addictions. Such an outcome would more than outweigh the
inconvenience of the new law.