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Kansas News: Kansas' New Electronic Weapon in the War on Meth
Published in the September 2010 Kansas State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter
For Kansas methamphetamine cooks, getting a key ingredient for making the illegal drug is about to get much more difficult. The Kansas State Board of Pharmacy adopted the Kansas Electronic Methamphetamine Precursor Logging (KEMPL) tracking system through rules and regulations on August 24, 2010. K.S.A. 65-16,102, which took effect on July 1, 2009, required the Kansas State Board of Pharmacy to establish and maintain a real time electronic logging system for use by all pharmacies in the state of Kansas that sell over-the-counter cold and allergy medications containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine (PSE), and/ or phenylpropanolamine products.
The move to electronic tracking was the result of the recommendation of the Kansas Methamphetamine Precursor Scheduling Task Force, which was formed in 2008 in response to the growth in illegal over-the-counter purchases of cold medicines for use in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The group recommended the state establish a real time electronic logbook system and require any pharmacy selling pseudoephedrine or ephedrine products to utilize the system.
The legislation required the Board to establish and provide the electronic system technology at no cost to the pharmacy. The legislature did not fund the project but they did permit the Board to contract with a private vendor and to accept donations, gifts, or grants for the funding of this project. The Board became aware of the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx), which is a collaboration led by the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators as well as law enforcement, health care professionals, state regulatory agencies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. NPLEx is funded by manufacturers of those medicines and therefore is free of charge to any state that chooses to join the system.
The NPLEx system is connected to approximately one-third of the nation’s pharmacies. Launched in Kentucky two years ago, NPLEx tracks the sale of more than 344,000 boxes of overthe- counter cold and allergy medicines per month in pharmacies across the country. Since the NPLEx database is multistate, illegal purchases are blocked across state lines, preventing methamphetamine cooks from obtaining the precursor of any other NPLEx-connected retailer. NPLEx states include Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa. Kansas will become the next state to deploy the NPLEx system and Washington, Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida have passed legislation to move forward with electronic tracking and to join the NPLEx network.
The technology provider of the NPLEx system is Appriss, Inc, of Louisville, KY. The NPLEx system enables pharmacies to easily enter the same PSE sales data currently being gathered online rather than recording the information into a manual log or in-store computer system. Data will be stored in a secure, central repository that treats the data collected as if it were Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act data. Furthermore, the collected data will be viewable by law enforcement, in keeping with Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act and SB 33. To secure your sales information, only your pharmacy will be able to inquire and view your sales data.
The Board is currently drafting an agreement to use the NPLEx system. Once the agreement has been approved each pharmacy will be contacted with more information related to integration, training, and other questions. Appriss will provide training sessions for all pharmacies located throughout the state and will provide follow-up IT support. If your pharmacy does not sell over-the-counter PSE products or your pharmacy only administers PSE products by prescription you can go through an exemption process that will also be detailed at a later date. The whole project should be completed and in place by December 17, 2010, in order to avoid the new year’s insurance and Medicare changes. The Board looks forward to partnering with you on this important effort.
