Indiana anti-meth bill shot down in House; law would be too expensive for state police to enforce

An anti-meth bill in Indiana that would have required convicted drug felons to have a prescription to purchase pseudoephedrine—an ingredient used to make meth—died in the House this week because the law would have been too expensive to enforce, Zach Evans reports for the Evansville Courier & Press.

"The bill called for state courts to report drug-related felonies to the Indiana State Police, which would then report the offense to the state's pseudoephedrine purchase database," Evans writes. But the bill's co-sponsor, Rep. Tom Washburne (R-Evansville), said the price tag was too high, with a report estimating that it would cost state police $378,500 in 2016 to update the database to old convictions and another $54,200 in 2017.

"A Courier & Press in-depth report in February found that imported crystal meth seized by local law enforcement increased 58,500 percent increase between 2011 and 2014," Evans writes. "More than 60 pounds of imported meth was seized locally last year. That increase correlates with a 50-percent decrease in the number of meth labs seized in the county between 2013 and 2014, showing that local meth habits are changing for now." (Read more) (Indiana Methamphetamine Investigation System graphic)