The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA) is federal legislation enacted in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

on March 9, 2006, to regulate, among other things, retail over-the-counter sales of following products because of their use in the manufacture of illegal drugs: *

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

* pseudoephedrine *

phenylpropanolamine Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) is a sympathomimetic agent which is used as a decongestant and appetite suppressant. It was commonly used in prescription and over-the-counter cough and cold preparations. In veterinary medicine, it is used to contr ...

(no longer OTC due to a proposed increased risk of stroke in younger women) Retail provisions of the CMEA include daily sales limits and 30-day purchase limits, placement of product out of direct customer access, sales logbooks, customer ID verification, employee training, and self-certification of regulated sellers. The CMEA is found as Title VII of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (H.R. 3199). The last provisions of the law took effect on 30 September 2006.

Justification

Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine are precursor chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine or amphetamine. They are also common ingredients used to make cough, cold, and allergy products. It was argued that the CMEA would curtail the

clandestine Clandestine may refer to: * Secrecy, the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals * Clandestine operation, a secret intelligence or military activity Music and entertainme ...

production of methamphetamine. The

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

claimed that states that had enacted similar or more restrictive retail regulations saw dramatic drops in the numbers of small clandestine labs.

Provisions

"The CMEA requires record-keeping and identification of all sales and reports to law enforcement of any 'suspicious' transactions. Purchasers are limited to '3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine base' per day and 9 grams per month. (Buying more than that is a federal misdemeanor.)"Roots, Roger (2011-04-05
Cooking Meth: How Government Manufactured a Drug Epidemic
''

LewRockwell.com Llewellyn Harrison Rockwell Jr. (born July 1, 1944) is an American author, editor, and political consultant. A libertarian and a self-professed anarcho-capitalist, he founded and is the chairman of the Mises Institute, a non-profit dedicated to ...

'' The statute also includes the following requirements for merchants who sell these products: *A retrievable record of all purchases identifying the name and address of each party to be kept for two years *Required verification of proof of identity of all purchasers *Required protection and disclosure methods in the collection of personal information *Reports to the Attorney General of any suspicious payments or disappearances of the regulated products *Required training of employees with regard to the requirements of the CMEA; Retailer must self-certify as to training and compliance *Non-liquid dose form of regulated product may only be sold in unit dose blister packs *Regulated products are to be sold behind the counter or in a locked cabinet in such a way as to restrict public access *Daily sales of regulated products not to exceed 3.6 grams without regard to the number of transactions *30 day (not monthly) sales limit not to exceed 7.5 grams if sold by mail-order or "mobile retail vendor" *30 day purchase limit not to exceed 9 grams of pseudoephedrine base in regulated products (misdemeanor possession offense under 21 USC 844a for the individual who buys it) * Prescriptions are exempt from logbook requirements.

First arrest

In September 2006, Tim Naveau was arrested and charged with a Class-B misdemeanor for purchasing Claritin-D. Naveau takes one tablet of Claritin D each day to combat allergies, and he "had stocked up on the allergy medication because his teenage son, who was also an allergy sufferer, needed several packages because he was headed off to a church camp." Minors are not permitted to purchase pseudoephedrine under the law. Naveau had gone over the legal limit for pseudoephedrine when he purchased extra Claritin-D to give to his son before he attended church camp.

References

External links

Department of Justice page on CMEA
{{Methamphetamine Acts of the 109th United States Congress United States federal controlled substances legislation United States federal criminal legislation United States federal health legislation Health policy in the United States Methamphetamine in the United States Patriot Act

Justification

Provisions

First arrest

See also

References

External links