Feb. 11--Tennessee's new system for tracking the sale of pseudoephedrine -- a main ingredient in making methamphetamine -- is working, officials said this week.
"It's doing what it was designed to do," state Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, said of the National Precursor Log Exchange, NPLEx. "It's keeping [pseudoephedrine] not out of the hands of people who need it, but out of the hands of folks who are making meth."
Tennessee is one of 17 states that has signed on to use the system, which can track the sale of methamphetamine precursors -- like pseudoephedrine -- through any pharmacy in the states that use it.
"I think it's a great tool," said Bristol, Tenn., Police Capt. Charlie Thomas. "And, as more and more pharmacies join, it'll be better."
In the month the system has been used, it has blocked the purchase of nearly 5,000 boxes of allergy medicine containing pseudoephedrine, according to a written statement released by Tennessee's General Assembly.
Sponsors of the system claim that shows it is working.
"These numbers show that NPLEx is working to stop meth crimes before they happen," state Rep. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet, who co-sponsored the anti-meth bill that prompted the use of the system, said in the statement.
But, authorities said, it's still a little too early to see how effective the system will be against preventing people from buying ingredients to make meth.
"They're still learning about it," Leslie Earhart, Sullivan County Sheriff's Office's public information officer, said of the deputies who work drug cases. "We haven't made any arrests or made leads yet because it's new. We're still learning how we'll get tips -- if the pharmacist will call us, or if the system itself [will alert the Sheriff's Office.] I think it's going to be great once we figure out how it works."
She said the main difference is that before, people could bounce from pharmacy to pharmacy and buy boxes of pseudoephedrine without leaving a trail.
Now, said Food City pharmacy Manager Cathy Creger, all she has to do is log in the purchaser's driver's license and she has instant access to their purchasing record.
"It assigns the transaction a number, and the patient signs," Creger said. "It would alert us to the fact that it's too early for them to get more or they've bought the max amount per month or day. It makes it so easy."
That maximum amount, she said, is 3,600 milligrams per day and 9,000 milligrams per month. The number of boxes that translates to varies depending on the potency of the pills inside.
Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, said the state is currently "in the middle of the issue, looking at data."
"Right now, it appears that the system is working," he said. "So far, so good."
Creger agreed.
"As far as I know, we haven't had any rejects," at the Food City pharmacy on Volunteer Parkway, she said.
And, if a law enforcement officer needs to track the information for an investigation, the pharmacy can print off a report for them. Police declined to detail what information is included in those reports, although purchases can be tracked, they said.
And, the public is still being asked to call in tips about the makers of meth.
NPLEx seems to be a step in the right direction, Earhart said.
"We think it will drastically decrease the number of meth labs found in the area and definitely slow down the purchase of pseudoephedrine," she said.
Copyright 2012 - Bristol Herald Courier, Va.
