WAGING WAR ON METH

Starting fluid and antifreeze, purchased in July.

Drain cleaner, batteries and coffee filters, bought in bulk.

Indiana State Police want retailers and store employees to know that
cold medicine and anhydrous ammonia aren't the only ingredients
needed to manufacture methamphetamine.

"They know cold medicine is kept behind the counter. But some don't
understand why they can't keep rock salt or starting fluid on the
shelves," said Trooper Larry Mote with the Lafayette post. "Who would
buy HEET in the middle of summer? It's a winter product."

In partnership with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, state
police in Lafayette are helping to launch the newly formed Indiana
Meth Watch program by distributing 200 free Meth Watch kits to local retailers.

Funded through a $50,000 grant from the Consumer Healthcare
Protection Association, its goal is to partner law enforcement with
retailers to train employees and educate the public on the common
household products often used to make the dangerous drug, Sgt. Kim Riley said.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Indiana ranked
second only to Missouri in the number of meth labs seized in 2004.

Kits contain a training video and a poster -- listing and showing the
ingredients, such as coffee filters -- for employees, along with
shelf tags to place next to the products.

So far, they've been passed out to grocery stores, gasoline stations
and pharmacies and other retailers in Tippecanoe and White counties.

Kroger spokesman Jeff Golc said all Kroger and Pay Less Super Market
stores in Indiana, including the four in the Lafayette area, are
participating or soon will participate in the program.

Pharmacists are fully trained to understand the law, he said.

"It has been one of the most heavily discussed and most heavily
trained propositions in the law that have come down the pike in a
long time," Golc said of meth-related legislation passed this year.
"Part of the reason is that it's had such a sweeping impact in the area."

As of July 1, nonprescription cold remedies containing ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine, such as NyQuil and Sudafed, have been moved behind
the counter.

Customers are limited to buying no more than 3 grams of the active
ingredients in a week, and they must show identification and sign a log.

Tippecanoe County Sheriff Smokey Anderson said, based on a decline in
the number of meth labs his agency has found, the legislation appears
to be helping.

The number of meth labs dismantled by police in Tippecanoe County
dropped from a peak of 23 in 2003 to 17 in 2004. And between July and
September, compared to the same three months in 2004, statewide the
number of labs seized by ISP declined 32 percent -- from 243 to 166.

But additional education and training is always welcome, Anderson said.

"Most of the store owners are aware of the ingredients and the law,
but the general public may not be as aware," Anderson said. "Anything
we can do to help get the message out is the right thing to do."

Though some might argue that the shelf tags would highlight meth
ingredients, Riley said the tags are meant as a warning to would-be
meth cookers that a store participates in the program -- especially
if such products are bought in bulk.

"The information is out there if they want it," Riley said. "This is
to show that we know what they may be buying it for. ... This is
about increasing awareness, making sure that everyone knows what to
watch out for."