New Measures to Clamp Down on Meth Considered

Virginia lawmakers are considering new statutes that would track the purchase of some over-the-counter medicines, like Sudafed and cough medicine.

The General Assembly's Joint Commission on Health Care and the State Crime Commission are considering new steps to monitor purchases of pseudoephedrine, found in over-the-counter medications.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the Crime Commission staff is studying a pharmaceutical industry-supported database that tracks PSE purchases and blocks those exceeding legal limits.

Law enforcement has been uncovering more meth labs around the state.  Officials believe a reason for the uptick in meth making has come from a practice of "smurfing," where individuals buy small quantities of substances that can be used to make methamphetamine from many different drug stores.

Drug producers are also getting around PSE limits by using fake IDs.