Tennessee Governor Signs “I Hate Meth Act”

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has signed the “I Hate Meth Act,” which classifies preparing methamphetamine in front of a child as aggravated child endangerment.

The new law also bans pharmacies from selling more than 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine per day or more than 9 grams per 30-day period to one person, unless he or she has a valid prescription, The Tennessean reports. Pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in many cold medicines, is also used to make meth.

More than 2,000 meth labs were shut down in Tennessee last year and 484 children were removed from homes in meth-related incidents, the newspaper reports.

Currently the state requires consumers to show a photo ID and give their name and address to a pharmacist before purchasing pseudoephedrine. That practice will continue under the new law.

Pharmacies now log information on pseudoephedrine into their computer systems and there is a lag of six to eight weeks before law enforcement receives the information. Under the new law, pharmacies will have to log information on pseudoephedrine sales at least daily to the Tennessee Meth Information System database.