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| 25 February 2003 - North County Times Deputies crack down on ephedrine sales By Kenneth Ma SAN DIEGO, CA – San Diego no longer has the unfortunate distinction of being called the “methamphetamine capital of the country.” Today, the San Diego region is experiencing positive and steady gains in the fight against methamphetamine, as shown in the Methamphetamine Strike Force Status Report and Report Card presented by Meth Strike Force co-chairs to the Board of Supervisors today. It was the third such operation conducted by community-policing deputies since a state law to curb products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine was implemented in January 2000, sheriff's Deputy Todd Norton said. The current operation will target 41 businesses through Wednesday. Ephedrine is the only methamphetamine ingredient that can't be substituted, Norton said. It can be found in cold medicine and nasal decongestion products. Merchants are only allowed to sell 9 grams or no more than three packages of products containing the stimulant per customer per day. The products can only be sold to those ages 18 or older. Norton and a sheriff's volunteer have been conducting the compliance operations since April 2001. The volunteer, a man in his 40s, attempts to purchase six products containing the stimulant, the deputy said. If he is successful, Norton tells merchants about the law and offers to provide their employees free training. " Our goal is not to give punitive damages to businesses," Norton said. "We want to educate them and offer them training." Of the 41 businesses checked in April 2001, only seven were in compliance with the law. Six months later, 14 businesses of the 41 checked were in compliance. Of the businesses that failed, only Wal-Mart and Sam's Club decided to participate in the training, Norton said. On Monday, a Vista Wal-Mart cashier agreed to sell the undercover sheriff's volunteer six boxes of products containing ephedrine, twice the legal limit. " This is really disappointing, Norton said. "It was only a year ago that they did the training. Every clerk should know they shouldn't sell it." Not far away, a Target store clerk also agreed to sell the volunteer six ephedrine-based products. The clerk gave the volunteer an option to make two separate purchases after the computer signaled a limit when three boxes were scanned. Target failed the compliance check twice before. " Obviously, we should have done a better job," store manager Jamont Jones said, adding that every cashier receives training on the ephedrine-compliance law. Norton said because there is a high turnover in retail, there are always going to be clerks who are not aware of the law. He said more training will be offered before the team decides whether to conduct an operation to cite clerks and businesses. |
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