Law enforcement and pharmacy retailers are working together to try to choke off the supply of a basic ingredient for making methamphetamine.
Pseudoephedrine, which is used in some cold medicines, is a key ingredient in meth. Missouri limits individual sales of those meds. But, some people buy their limit, only turn around to sell the pills to meth producers, at a profit of maybe 10 or 20 bucks. That’s called “Smurfing”, and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker says that the sad, and scary posters going up in pharmacies around the state will help put an end to it.
“Now, without smurfers, some domestic meth operations simply would not be able to operate. This anti-smurfing campaign puts smurfers on notice,” Baker said.
State Attorney General Chris Koster also supports the new campaign.
“In 2012 Missouri set yet another record, a historic high for meth production,” Koster said. “Missouri needs to get off the top of this list. Today’s action is a step in that direction.”
Depending on the circumstances, selling cold medicine to meth cooks can be a serious felony, one carrying the possibility of 15 years in prison.
No one knows how much “smurfing” contributes to overall meth production, or if the PR campaign will have much of an effect on the practice. In a state consistently ranked among the nation’s top meth producers though, every little bit helps.
Missouri is the third state to try the public relations campaign to dissuade people from selling cold medicine to meth cooks.
