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West Virginia Drug Chain Seeks To Fight Meth Production
By: Associated Press
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A West Virginia-based pharmacy chain is hoping to combat the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine by stocking a tamper-resistant form of the drug used in its production.
Fruth Pharmacy, which has 27 locations in West Virginia and Ohio, announced Tuesday that it will begin stocking a drug called Nexafed. The tablet contains the active ingredient pseudoephedrine, similar to the popular brand-name allergy drug Sudafed.
But if an abuser tries to extract the pseudoephedrine out of Nexafed to make meth, it breaks down into a thick gel that thwarts production.
Fruth will continue to stock other pseudoephedrine products that offer different dosages than Nexafed.
Meth production has been a big problem in West Virginia. Statewide, authorities seized more than 300 meth labs since January. More than half were in Kanawha County.