WHEREAS, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA) restricted access to medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a precursor chemical required for the manufacture of methamphetamine, by requiring that pseudoephedrine be sold behind the counter and restricting the amount of pseudoephedrine that an individual may purchase on a daily basis; and

WHEREAS, individuals manufacturing methamphetamine are avoiding CMEA purchasing restrictions by using a technique called smurfing; and

WHEREAS, smurfing permits an individual, or groups of individuals working in concert, to obtain large quantities of pseudoephedrine by purchasing pseudoephedrine from multiple retail stores, thereby exceeding the per person, daily quantity restrictions established by the CMEA; and

WHEREAS, in 2005, Oregon enacted legislation making pseudoephedrine available only by prescription; and

WHEREAS, since enactment of the Oregon prescription requirement, methamphetamine labs in Oregon have dropped from 472 labs in 2004 to 10 labs in 2009; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, endorses the adoption of a model legislation that is consistent with the provisions of the Oregon legislation requiring a prescription for the purchase of pseudoephedrine because such legislation is an effective method to eliminate smurfing and to combat methamphetamine production and abuse.

Submitted by: Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Committee
NDD.020.a10