Crowell: New electronic database helps fight meth production

In his latest report, Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, talks about a new method to fight meth production in Missouri:

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and illegal stimulant that has affected communities throughout our state and country. For years, we have worked to fight against this drug. A 2008 law was recently implemented to further help restrict the production of this destructive and deadly drug.


In 2005, the Legislature passed a law requiring that pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, necessary ingredients in the making of methamphetamine, be kept behind the counter at pharmacies and other sellers of these products. We also made sure that all sales of these substances had to be logged and that consumers were required to show a photo ID to purchase the product. The law had a positive effect, and the number of meth labs went down. However, law enforcement has recently noticed that more people are finding ways to circumvent the law and buy these products to manufacture meth. This led to the recent implementation of a statewide database intended to catch people involved in making meth.

State regulations took effect in late September that requires sellers of pseudoephedrine-based medicines to enter details about the buyers into a real-time electronic database. This new database is designed to prevent people from purchasing more than the maximum amount of pseudoephedrine products allowed under Missouri law.

Another function of the database is that it will help police track down those who attempt to buy large amounts of products containing pseudoephedrine. Sellers will have to enter a customer's full name, address, birth date, and signature in the database, as well as specific details about the type and quantity of the pseudoephedrine-based product that was purchased. The system will reject customers who already have exceeded the limit and alert police about the attempted purchase.

Missouri will now be one of more than 10 states that use real–time statewide electronic sales systems to track the sale of these products. The system should be implemented by the end of the year. In the meantime, regional training sessions will be held for employees and law enforcement officers to help make this new database system work as effectively as possible in order to reduce the production of this dangerous drug.

We must continue the fight against meth and work to stop the manufacture and use of this destructive and highly addictive drug. With the continued hard work of law enforcement and by implementing new ways of catching those making this drug, we can lessen the hold meth has on our communities.