Washington News: Methamphetamine Work Group

April 1, 2008 10:58 am

Published in the April 2008 Washington State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter

Many states, including Washington, have seen a drop in methamphetamine drug labs and dump sites. State and federal regulations restricting the availability of products used to manufacture methamphetamine have contributed to this drop. In 2006, the legislature required the Board to conduct a statewide pilot project. The pilot required retailers to document all sales transactions of products containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine.

The Board convened the Methamphetamine Work Group to evaluate the results of the pilot and report its findings and recommendations to the legislature. The work group concluded that retail transaction logs are effective in restricting access to over-the-counter drugs for the illegal manufacturing of methamphetamine.

As a law enforcement tool, the work group recommended an electronic point-of-sale data collection system. You may view the work group’s entire report on the Board’s Web site https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/hpqa1/hps4/Pharmacy/default.htm under “Publications.”