Despite statewide concern about an increase in methamphetamine labs in Ohio, people stealing cold medicines containing pseudophedrine, the main ingredient in meth, is a bigger problem in the Athens area, said Athens County Prosecutor C. David Warren.
Warren said he has prosecuted only one major meth lab bust about a year ago in Coolville, and the few other cases he has seen have been small meth labs in cars.
But in the past few months, Warren has seen an increase in people stealing drugs containing pseudophedrine, he said.
CVS Pharmacy, 32 S. Court St., usually keeps cold medicines that contain pseudophedrine behind the pharmacy counter to keep the medicine from being stolen, said Mark Shaw, a pharmacist at the store.
(Stealing cold medicine) has been
and still is a problem Shaw said. If we accidentally put it up front
it disappears.
Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro recently signed a bill that requires all cold medicines containing pseudophedrine as their main ingredient be placed behind store counters. The bill will go into effect in May, said Bob Beasley, a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's office.
A pharmacist from Wal-Mart, 929 E. State St., refused to comment because Wal-Mart employees are not allowed to talk to the media, but a news release on the company's corporate Web site said that Wal-Mart has set transaction limits on pseudophedrine and have provided initiatives to educate our associates
consumers and legislators on this issue.
Hudson Health Center sells cold medicines containing pseudophedrine, said Daniel Hudson, a pharmacist at the health center, but students improperly using cold medicines to make methamphetamine is not a problem at OU.
All medicines the health center sells are kept behind the pharmacy counter, including cold medicines, Hudson said.
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Emily Vance
