With Ohio law enforcement on pace to uncover a record number of meth labs this year, new fronts have opened in the war against the drug, reports the Columbus Dispatch. As of June 1, all Ohio pharmacies are linked online, allowing pharmacists to see right away whether someone who is buying cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine — the key ingredient in meth — has bought more elsewhere.
If the person is exceeding purchase limits, the pharmacist can stop the sale. Law enforcement also can monitor the data electronically, making it easier to spot trends and system abusers. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's clandestine-lab unit is ramping up efforts to train as many people as it can — including trash collectors, social, and members of civic groups — on how to spot the remnants of a lab and what to do when one is found. Meth cookers use an easier recipe now, taking less than an hour to brew a batch of drugs in a small plastic bottle.