MONTGOMERY — Attorney General Troy King today announced the final passage of a bill he offered to create an electronic database of information to restrict the availability of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products that may be used for making methamphetamine.
The Senate yesterday approved House Bill 528 which was sponsored by Rep. Frank McDaniel and Senator Lowell Barron. The computerized system would modernize logs that are already kept on paper, making it possible to restrict excessive purchases and provide instant tracking for law enforcement.
“I am grateful to Senator Lowell Barron and Representative Frank McDaniel for their leadership and dedication in moving this important bill forward,” said Attorney General King. “Now law enforcement will have a valuable tool to more effectively fight the dangerous proliferation of methamphetamine labs. I commend the Legislature for taking this step to keep the citizens of Alabama safer.”
Under the new law, a database would be established in which every pharmacy or retailer selling ephedrine or pseudoephedrine products (ingredients that may be used to make methamphetamine) would be required to enter the purchaser's identifying information into an electronic database prior to any sale. The database would then notify the seller if the purchaser had exceeded his or her daily or monthly limit for such purchases. Information in the database would be shared with law enforcement agencies. Although this information is already collected, the electronic database would make the system far more efficient and effective.
“The new law has been greatly needed,” said Senator Barron. “North Alabama in particular has suffered from severe problems with the growth of meth labs. This will stop potential criminals who are buying these drugs in order to make methamphetamine. This new legislation also gives law enforcement additional tools to help curb this epidemic.”
Representative McDaniel stated, “The meth problem has become so bad that the Marshall County area has been called the ‘Meth Mountain.’ Families are being destroyed by this powerfully addictive drug. Every step we take forward with stronger laws is vital.”
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