Culver Signs Bill to Crack Down on Meth Dealers

Yesterday, Governor Culver signed a bill that would crack down on Meth dealers. The bill would make it easier for law enforcement to track multiple purchases of pseudoephedrine by creating an electronic log.

From the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier...

Gov. Chet Culver has signed a measure that tightens the sale of the drug pseudoephedrine, which can be used to make meth.

The bill tracks multiple purchases of the nonprescription cold medicine.

Under the measure, customers buying pseudoephedrine must sign an electronic log that records the purchase, a move aimed at building a registry where authorities can keep track who is buying the drug.

Currently, customers sign a paper log.

I wrote about this bill last month as it moved through the State Senate. Here's more info...

An electronic system with real-time tracking would cost about $750,000 over two years, said Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center. The state is seeking a $750,000 federal grant, and if that falls through, the law would not take effect, he said.

"If someone's buying pills in Marshalltown, Ames, Newton, there's no way for law enforcement to know that under the current system with the handwritten log," Sodders said.