The head of the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force says a methamphetamine bust this week is a perfect example of why Kentucky needs stronger laws concerning meth’s key ingredient.
Four Bowling Green residents were arrested this week for “smurfing” pseudoephedrine, which is a meth precursor found in most over-the-counter cold and allergy drugs.
"They were defeating the electronic tracking by using false identifications and hitting both states, which is exactly what we tried to tell the legislature two years ago, that electronic tracking really doesn't work, explained Tommy Loving, director of the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force.
Loving says to really curtail the crime, lawmakers should make pseudoephedrine available by prescription only.
Kentucky's electronic tracking law has led to a 20% drop in meth labs statewide, but according to Loving, the law has had no effect in Warren County.
Efforts to require a prescription for pseudoephedrine have failed in recent legislative sessions due to a strong lobby from the pharmaceutical industry.
Under current Kentucky law, consumers are prevented from purchasing more than seven grams of pseudoephedrine per month without a prescription.
The limit is higher in Tennessee, which Loving says, sends Kentuckians across the state line.
