A law causing headaches for those suffering from colds or sinus problems has squashed methamphetamine arrests in Lowndes County.
The state banned over-the-counter cold and sinus medicine containing pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth, on July 1.
Since then, the Columbus-Lowndes Metro Narcotics Unit has made just seven meth-related arrests, according to Narcotics Unit Sgt. John Duke. Before the ban, the unit was third for meth-related arrests in the state, reporting 241 arrests since Jan. 1, 2009, he said.
The law has made it much more difficult to get pseudoephedrine, Duke said. Meth cooks have to go to Alabama pharmacies or through a doctor”s office now.
“That doesn”t mean they aren”t making meth,” he added. “It”s just a lot harder for them.”
Gordo and Reform, Ala., are now the two most common sources of pseudoephedrine for Lowndes County meth cooks, he said.
The ban has also made it harder and more costly for law-abiding citizens to get pseudoephedrine-based medicine like Sudafed. Cold medicine available over the counter now is significantly less strong than medicine with pseudoephedrine.
Nurse Practitioner Amber Robertson said the Lowndes Medical Clinic had seen a rise in the number of patients coming in for treatment for the common cold.
“They”re coming in after a day of being sick because they can”t get any relief,” Robertson said.
But from the viewpoint of a law enforcement officer, John Duke said he”d rather deal with a runny nose than more meth users.
“If I had to choose between putting meth cooks out of business, I”d choose that over suffering through a little sinus problems,” he said.
Mississippi and Oregon are the only two states that require a prescription for pseudoephedrine-based medicine.
The head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Marshall Fisher, who led the push for the legislation, said results of the law have positive.
“Early results show a nearly 70 percent reduction in meth-related cases statewide,” he said.
Figures from the MBN show officers responded to 124 meth lab cases from July to December 2010, a 68-percent reduction from the 389 meth lab cases during the same period in 2009.
Duke said officers “don”t even think about meth anymore.”
“Our tips are down, our arrests are down — I think use is down a good bit,” he said. “We”re not seeing near the volume of manufacturing or possession of precursor charges.”
Cocaine is still the most commonly used drug in Lowndes County, Duke said.
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