Wal-Mart trying to roll back anti-Meth legislation (seriously)

[underpants]

I just heard this on AAR so I looked it up

http://walmartwatch.com/blog/archives/wal_mart_rolls_back_tough_anti_meth_legislation/

Today’s Des Moines Register singles out Wal-Mart for weakening Iowa’s anti-methamphetamine laws. In a harsh editorial, they criticize the retail giant and drug companies for pushing a federal bill that would undermine the state’s tough and effective anti-meth laws. And Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) weighs in, saying the White House is “listening more to Wal-Mart than to the economic and social problems” that result from meth. Iowa’s law enforcement officers are making real progress combating meth, and Wal-Mart’s lobbying efforts (PDF) threaten to stop that progress in its tracks.

Iowa has been hit particularly hard by the meth epidemic, and trails only Missouri (PDF) in the number of labs seized. The highly-addictive drug has devastated rural communities throughout the Midwest and local social service agencies are now struggling with a generation of “Meth Orphans” from families that have been torn apart by the crisis. But Iowa state legislators fought back by passing the most restrictive anti-meth law in the nation, and the number of lab seizures dropped by a dramatic 75% after it was enacted. Now a White House proposal could potentially weaken the Iowa bill and make it harder for other states to crack down on meth. Sen. Grassley and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) succeeded in tightening up a Senate bill last month, but the White House proposal puts the Iowa legislation in jeopardy.

[annabanana]

1. this is because Iowa is restricting the sale of Pseudoephedrine

...and the over the counter cold medications with the stuff in it are such a big profit booster?
It's weird that they would do such a stupid PR turd about something that can't be that valuable,financially...

[underpants]

2. Plus, sales in the 12-5 AM slot would suffer greatly

[wuushew]

3. most meth is not produced by small scale cold medicine setups

but rather industrial scale and organized operations. Laws that serve no purpose are counter productive to societal utility and resource allocation.

[one_true_leroy]

4. i don't think that's true...

while there are large scale labs, most (especially in the rural regions) are very small scale... basements and garages or living rooms. easy to hide and easy to disassemble. the equipment can be loaded into the trunk of a car and made mobile, and profit can be 100x or more the initial investment. lotsa kids are recruited to buy the medicine "for mommy" so one person receives the buying power of dozens of children. it really is this milieu's moonshining, only a whole lot more menacing.

[wuushew]

8. links

The next question, that of meth supply, divides into two separate issues, because this drug
comes from two major sources. The most significant source (in terms of the amount produced)
comes from the so-called “superlabs,” which until recently were mainly located in California, but
are now increasingly located in northern Mexico. By the end of the 1990’s these superlabs
produced over 70 percent of the nation’s supply of meth, and today it is believed that 90 percent
or more comes from Mexican superlabs. The superlabs are operated by large Mexican drug
trafficking organizations that have used their established distribution and supply networks to
transport meth throughout the country.

The second major source of meth comes from small, local labs that are generally
unaffiliated with major trafficking organizations. These labs, often called “mom-and-pop” or
“clan” (i.e., clandestine) labs, have proliferated throughout the country, often in rural areas. The
total amount of meth actually supplied by these labs is relatively small; however, the
environmental damage and health hazard they create (in the form of toxic chemical pollution and
chemical fires) make them a serious problem for local communities, particularly the state and
local law enforcement agencies forced to uncover and clean them up. Children are often found
at meth labs, and have frequently suffered from severe health problems as a result of the
hazardous chemicals used.

http://reform.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Souder%20Opening%20Statement%206-27-05.pdf


I can't find the link, but I ran across an article citing the very few actual cases of cold medicine theft associated with small scale production. I am not denying that meth can as is made in such a way but rather the money, privacy loss, and lawmakers time spent combating the small scale production would be better spent on going after large scale players and additional funding for treatment

[converted_democrat]

19. Guy was just talking about it on either Dobbs or Blitzer can't

remember off the top of my head. He said that people now smuggle the active ingredient Pseudo -whatever from Mexico. He said that huge labs have popped up across the border in Mexico making nothing but that ingredient, not meth itself. In other words, the pushers and users found a new way around what was just legislated.

[CornField]

14. It isn't just about stopping meth in Iowa

It is about stopping the fires, breathing hazards, related thefts and deaths that have resulted from clandestine meth labs.

The Iowa laws were originally set up so that an individual could purchase one box of sudaphed (or related drugs) without any difficulty. Those who ran clan labs then just drove from store to store. If everyone in the group purchased a box... well, it didn't take long to accumulate enough.

Then the law was changed. Individuals could still purchase a box, but would have to provide a driver's license. This way, each store had a log of the individuals who purchased. Clan lab owners used fake identifications or just out-right stole the stuff. So that law did little to stop the clan labs, although it did add further work for the stores and inconvenience for the public.

By placing the drugs in a pharmacy, security is already in place to protect them from easy five-finger-discounts.

Furthermore, this is not the only step Iowa has taken to keep the clan labs from easy operation. Most amyl-nitrate tanks on farms and coops have been out-fitted with specialized locks which prevent easy theft. K9 units have been specifically trained to detect the smell of such labs and there is a major education campaign underway for those who don't understand the dangers of meth manufacturing.

[jmowreader]

18. Anhydrous ammonia, not amyl nitrate

Amyl nitrate is called "popper" because when it came on the market, it was packaged in "poppers" that look like ammonia inhalers. It's a heart stimulant, and so far as I can tell from all the meth recipes I read, meth doesn't contain popper.

Anhydrous ammonia is a fertilizer used in the "Nazi Method" of making meth. This is the stuff the farmers are locking up.

You'll love this: meth cooks use new 20-gallon propane cylinders to steal anhydrous ammonia. You can tell that a propane cylinder is being used for anhydrous ammonia because the brass fittings turn bright blue on contact with anhydrous, and they stay that way.

[CornField]

20. That is almost as embarrassing as the time...

Just out of college, I had landed my first job at a daily newspaper. The local veterans were having some type of historical shin-dig and brought me in a photo of them reinacting the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Well, seeing how I was new and didn't want to royally screw up during my first month on the payroll, I consulted my AP Stylebook for the proper spelling. For reasons which remain unknown to me, I looked up Hiro Shima. So, there you go, on the front page of the local section: "Local vets reinact the Battle of Hiro Shima"

I haven't felt that sense of confused embarrassment again... until now. I know it is Anhydrous and I have no clue why, when I wanted to get the right spelling, I looked up Amyl. *sigh* So sorry.

P.S. I had no idea about the brass fittings.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. The thing I hate about this legislation

is that personally, Sudafed or its brethren is the only drug that helps to prevent sinus migraine type headaches in my husband. His sinuses are a mess and he regularly takes sudafed to stop or prevent headaches.

Now it is back to trying other stuff for him, and probably months of misery until we find something that works.

Ugh.

[ieoeja]

7. You have no pharmacies where you live? n/t

[Midlodemocrat]

9. Of course we do, but if it becomes a prescription only

drug, that will require doctor's visits, etc., Runs up the cost as well as the time constraints.

[underpants]

11. Hopefully there will be an express line at the Dr.'s offices

oh what am I saying they have to make more money to cover their insurance increases from frivolous lawsuits.

You are probably aware that the other hillbilly heroin epidemic was Oxycontin and those required prescriptions too. Out in SW Va doctors were writing 'scrips all over the place. This legislation isn't perfect but it is a start.

[Midlodemocrat]

12. I know. Something has to be done.

It's just the personal inconvience factor for us. We have a hard enough time getting his Rxs refilled because he travels so much, and this is just one more thing.

Between him, my FIL and the kids, I feel as though I live at the pharmacy.

[underpants]

13. Two words for you

Westbury Pharmacy

I have yet to see less than 12 pharmacists working. Pharmacists, not the counter people (cashiers) PHARMACISTS

Worth the trip. Oh they deliver too. Open 'til 1 AM.

http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2004-17,RNWE:en&q=westbury+pharmacy&near=Richmond,+VA&sa=X&oi=localr

[Midlodemocrat]

15. Yeah, it is a great pharmacy.

but it is 1/2 hour from me.

With the frequency that I have to go to the pharmacy, I would have to move to Henrico.

[pointblank]

6. All that I know is

I live in Misery...errr Missouri...and I got ID'd, cavity searched, fingerprinted, retina scanned and submitted to a polygraph test before they would let me buy one box of Tylenol Sinus.

[delen]

10. There is a problem

with the laws governing the sales of sudafed-my state Minnesota which recently passed a law requiring pharmacy only sales and limiting the total monthly amount any person can buy to 6 grams a month.
Pharmacists are putting their own limits on sales. Some allow what the law says and some are imposing much, much stricter limits.
Example 3 weeks ago I purchased a 24 count package of Sudafed that is about 750mg or 3/4 of a gram yesterday I stopped at the same pharmacy and tryed to purchase a 48 ct package or 1 1/2 grams the pharmacist would not allow the purchase! No I had not purchased any in between, she the pharmacist told me SHE felt that those amounts were too much, yes well within the law but her personal opinion was different and if I argued or attempted another purchase I could be reported as a to the state) as a possible meth manufacturer! You must present ID so she had all my info and what I've found is that if you ask any questions such as what pharmacies do with the info they collect from ID's and purchase records does this info go into a data base ect. you are automatically suspicious.

[wuushew]

16. Lets look at the economics of hillbilly meth production

googling meth recipes yielded this recipe on the internet.
For a modest investment in pseudo-ephedrine, chemicals, electricity and labor you get a measly 5-6 grams per setup per 48 hour period.
http://www.neonjoint.com/drug_recipes/chapter3.html


The going price of meth is 400-2800 dollars per ounce, so our recipe yields us .21 oz($400-2800). Does this compensate the lost wages of legitimate work or provide ample coverage for engaging in a felony crime? This assumes rational profit seeking behavior from the producer, if the maker was also an addict the non-sustainability of the economic reality would be even more apparent.

Sure the amount of cold medicine that can be purchased locally is somewhat flexible but it too responds to supply and demand conditions and therefore should be considered a variable cost. Truly large production quantities would require bulk theft or black market purchase of ingredients which of coarse invalidates the reasons behind restricting lawful purchases.

[delen]

17. Followed your link

After my experience with the pharmacist I got curious as to just how much sudafed it took-the amount was 10-15 grams, not to mention the obvious danger involved in making meth,why not just make bombs about the same thing.
However the point here is that these laws in reality do very little to quell Meth abuse or production what they do is -
1. Give authority and the power to abuse that authority to certain people.
2. Make people who are innocent appear guilty of something.
3. Allowed sluggish state governments to appear to be pro-active about a some problem when they aren't really doing anything, in my state at the same time our repug governor was trying to null and void a gambling treaty with the Ojibwe tribe or turn certain bands on each other this law stole the headlines.

[rman]

21. This was predictable, when Bush spoke out against meth...

As usual, * does the opposite of what he says.

[tx_dem41]

22. Hate to say it, but I agree with the evil Wal-Mart on this one.

That's a first.