New Bill Seeks to Decrease Montana Drug Trafficking by Using Medicinal Database

A recently introduced anti-drug senate bill in Montana will soon make its way through the Montana state legislature.NBC Montana reports that the bill seeks to curb meth manufacturing. The Department of Justice is supporting the bill, which would create a data base to let law enforcement know when someone is attempting to buy too much of certain types of cold medicine used in the meth making process.

The medicines in question contain either pseudoephedrine or ephedrine. There are already restrictions in place, as current rules only allow for the purchase of nine grams of the ingredient per 30 day period. The rules also require buyers to provide their ID, date of birth and address.

A pharmacist is required to keep those records, but because the data is not centralized, police have had trouble keeping up with what they call "smurfing." That's when meth-makers hop from one pharmacy to another in an attempt to procure large amounts the ingredients.

Senate Bill 48 seeks to prevent that through use of the database. Pharmaceutical manufacturers already fund a database known as NPLEx, used in about 25 states. SB48 would bring the web-based system to Montana.

If officers have the name of a suspected meth cook and have the proper clearance, they could plug the name in and see if they get a match. Pharmacists would also be able to more easily know when not to sell the drugs to repeat buyers.

The pharmacists wouldn't have time constraints when reporting the info, through the DOJ would prefer them to update the system as quickly as possible.

The Montana database would be able to hook up with databases in states that already use it. For instance, the database is currently in use in North Dakota, which means if the law passes in Montana, law enforcement could have another tool in their tool belt to curb meth trafficking in the Bakken area.

Missoula County Sheriff's Spokesperson Paige Pavalone tells NBC Montana law enforcement could use all the help they can get when working to curb drug manufacturing.

"Any time there's legislation that's passed that helps law enforcement prohibit the manufacture of dangerous drugs and keeping them off the street is a major bonus for us," said Pavalone. "It's just one step toward making our community safer."

Click here for the current text of the bill.