Buying pseudoephedrine? The state knows

An electronic record of your purchase will be sent to state officials.

This is the effect of a new Iowa law, signed by Governor Chet Culver last week.

The law calls for a state-wide electronic log system that will record and compile every purchase of pseudoephedrine -- a common decongestant that also happens to be a precursor in producing the illegal drug methamphetamine.

The log will have evidence if someone buys more than his or her allowed 3,600 milligrams of pseudoephedrine in 24 hours. One tablet of a common pseudoephedrine decongestant contains about 30 milligrams of the drug.

Under the current law, people are required to show identification and sign a paper log when they purchase pseudoephedrine.

"The problem," said Sen. Randy Feenstra, "is people making meth are still getting pseudoephedrine."

They use a process he called "smurfing," going from store to store and buying pseudoephedrine.

And it's happening in northwest Iowa.

"That's exactly how people have been getting pseudoephedrine," Police Chief Stu Dekkenga said. "They might start in Sioux City and drive all day long going from pharmacy to pharmacy."

The idea behind the bill, according to Becky Swift of the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy, is to make a better way for law enforcement officers to check the system for multiple purchases if they have suspicions.

"They won't have to go from pharmacy to pharmacy to pharmacy reading paper logs," she said in a phone interview Wednesday.

As of July 1, if federal money comes through, pharmacies will be connected to the central system.

Not all the kinks are worked out yet.

A committee has to meet to decide who will monitor the system and the details of how exactly it will work. Swift said the goal is to have no cost for pharmacies to participate.

"We've looked at many systems in many states to find the best and most cost effective way to do this," she said.

And if the federal money doesn't come through, the plan will be put on hold until those dollars are available, Swift added.

Locally, both Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart's pharmacies have used an electronic log for some time now.

Connecting to the state-wide system would probably be a corporate action, pharmacists from both stores said.

While Wal-Mart's log is isolated in each store, Hy-Vee's log is compiled for all the stores across the region.

The data is sent from all Hy-Vee computers in the Midwest to a central computer at the corporate headquarters in West Des Moines, Hy-Vee pharmacist Jeff Faber said.

The compiled log can reveal someone buying more than their limit, he said.

Under the current law, both pharmacies also require photo ID to verify identity before a person can buy pseudoephedrine products.

"If they say they want to buy some pseudoephedrine, we ask to see a driver's license or other ID. They have to be 18 years old," Faber said.

Do the police and sheriff's office check the logs locally?

"Occasionally," Wal-Mart pharmacist Bruce Dutcher said. "I suppose it depends on how much drug activity is going on."

Dekkenga said generally, when the police department or drug task force checks the logs, they are looking for a specific name.

"If we have information that John Doe is cooking meth, we'll check to see if he's been buying pseudoephedrine," Dekkenga said.

The Office of Drug Control Policy originally pushed for a more pro-active system, one that would alert pharmacists when an individual was trying to buy more than their limit.

However, that idea was nixed because it put pharmacists in the place of law enforcement officers. Potentially, a shopper that was under the influence of methamphetamines could become aggressive, Swift said.

Under the new law, authorities would still need a court order or warrant to examine the new statewide log.

"I think legislators are trying to put a plug in the hole in the dike but still make pseudoephedrine available to the public who needs it," Police Chief Dekkenga said.

Still, it's not a fix-all solution, he noted.

"Is it going to make a big impact locally?" Dekkenga asked. "My guess is unless Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska have the same type of rules, people will just go across the state line to buy."