Indiana Looks to Combat Statewide Meth Issue

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An Indiana lawmaker says the state's growing meth problem is taking a human and economic toll on the state. State Senator Carlin Yoder (R-12) says businesses don't want to locate to “climates where meth is taking over.” He says meth use has grown from a rural issue to a statewide problem. The General Assembly is considering multiple bills that would restrict access to pseudoephedrine-based products, which can be used to make the drug. Yoder discussed those efforts during an interview to air this weekend on Inside INdiana Business Television. A Purdue Extension publication reported Indiana had 1,707 meth lab seizures in 2013, which was the highest number of any state in the nation. The number shrank to 1,488 in 2014. However, other states near the top of the list, such as Tennessee and Missouri, saw larger decreases.

There are opponents of legislation restricting access to pseudoephedrine. They include House Public Health Chairman Ed Clere (R-72), who says he doesn't want to make it harder for Hoosiers to get over-the-counter medicines they need.

Source: Inside INdiana Business