WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Police using new tool to track purchases of meth making ingredients
Member Center:
By Maira Ansari - bio | email
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Every year, police and federal drug officials destroy thousands of methamphetamine labs. Not only do these labs produce a powerfully addictive drug, but they also endanger the safety of the surrounding community. Now the state of Kentucky is using a now there is new tool to fight it.
Under federal rules, you can only purchase 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine a day and nine grams in 30 days. Law enforcement now has a new way to track who is buying too much of the drug to make meth. It's called the National Precursor Log Exchange or "NPLEx". It's a multi state electronic tracking program that puts purchase limitations on over the counter medications that contain pseudoephedrine.
"What is happening in more recent years within the last year and half is that meth production is on the rise again. One of the reasons that is the case is that these people that were illegally purchasing the pseudoephedrine in Kentucky have now been forced to cross the state boarders where they are purchasing and bringing it back in Kentucky," said Sheriff Keith Cain of Daviess County.
"This program allows each pharmacy in the state to know when someone is trying to purchase pseudoephedrine that they are already over the legal limit then they stop that purchase," said Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.
The technology for NPLEx is based on a system that was developed and tested in Kentucky in 2005 and expanded statewide in 2007. Friday, Kentucky, Illinois, and Louisiana are becoming the first three states to adopt NPLEX as their electronic tracking program.
"Though we are still dealing with the drug. At least we are getting a handle on the production process itself and that's a home run," said Cain.
The manufacturers of the medications that contain pseudoephedrine are paying for the technology. About 16,000 retailers in the U.S. are currently using the tracking system including all CVS, Rite Aid, and Super Valu stores.
Copyright 2009 WAVE-TV and Raycom Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Comments Terms of Use: We welcome your participation in our community. Please keep your comments civil and on point. Notify us of any inappropriate comments by clicking the “Mark as Offensive” link. You must be at least 13 years of age to post comments. By submitting a comment, you agree to these
Terms of Service
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login or register See all comments |
