The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics has implemented new initiatives aimed at curbing the illicit use of pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient for manufacturing methamphetamine. As of November 1st, a birth date will be required, in addition to full name and a state-issued identification number for purchasing pseudoephedrine at pharmacies.
OBN Spokesman Mark Woodward says the birth date requirement will help eliminate sales to individuals using fake or multiple identification cards to purchase more pseudoephedrine than state law allows. “OBN has also been working with the Department of Public Safety to implement a data-sharing program, allowing the Pseudoephedrine Tracking Program to reject sales from customers using identification cards not currently in the state system.”
The OBN says that, although meth labs have declined by over 90% in the past several years, some areas of Oklahoma are seeing increases in so-called “shake and bake” or “one-pot” meth labs which use smaller quantities of pseudoephedrine. Many of these meth cooks use fake or altered identification cards to purchase pseudoephedrine, Woodward says.
In 2006, Oklahoma was the first state to begin tracking pseudoephedrine sales electronically. Woodward says another new feature to the pseudoephedrine tracking system is an upgrade this fall which allows access to the system by all of Oklahoma’s law enforcement community. Woodward says direct access will speed up the process of tracking, investigating, and prosecuting those obtaining pseudoephedrine to manufacture methamphetamine.
