N.C. ATTORNEY GENERAL WANTS U.S. TO HELP AGAINST METH

ASHEVILLE -- The top law officer in North Carolina says that federal
legislation pending in Congress could help the state combat the sale
and use of methamphetamine, an illegal drug that has taken hold in
rural America. A proposal in Congress that would limit sales of cold
medicines used to make the drug stalled Thursday after House and
Senate negotiators couldn't iron out differences. A similar version
could still be passed next week. "I think ... Congress could provide
a great preventive measure for the East Coast," Attorney General Roy
Cooper said.

The number of meth-lab seizures in North Carolina has increased from
nine in 1999 to 280 as of late October. Most of those labs were in
Western North Carolina, reflecting the eastward push of the meth
problem. North Carolina legislators already have passed legislation
limiting the sale of cold medicines such as Sudafed. The law, based
on efforts in Oklahoma, will take effect on Jan. 15.

Cooper believes that a comprehensive approach should require limits
on sales, tougher penalties on meth-lab operators and incentives for
drug treatment. Congress also could help state and local police by
providing money for basic law-enforcement needs, Cooper said, such as
crime-fighting equipment for investigators.

This includes help replacing North Carolina's fingerprinting system,
which Cooper called "outdated."