Iowa Calls System to Reduce Sales of Meth Ingredient a Success

Iowa’s system to track and prevent sales of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient of methamphetamine, has prevented more than 21,000 illegal purchases, a new report states.

The report from the Iowa Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy said the system stopped the sale of enough pseudoephedrine to make 113 pounds of meth.

People in Iowa cannot purchase more than 360 milligrams of pseudoephedrine a day, and 7,500 milligrams in a month, the Associated Press reports. Once a person reaches the limit, the tracking system flags them, and alerts pharmacies they cannot sell the person any more pseudoephedrine.

The state still has many meth labs, according to the governor’s report. The number of labs is likely to reach 343 this year, the state estimates. That is double the number of labs reported in 2007, but far below the 1,500 labs in 2004, before the state began controlling pseudoephedrine sales.