May 19, 2013
The state of Alabama has been battling this issue for a while now.
It's called smurfing...
"What occurs is, when you're a meth cook and you understand the law requires that you provide ID to purchase pseudoephedrine, you'll contact someone else to make those purchases."
But today Attorney General Luther Strange said...."no more" with the kick-off of a new anti-smurfing campaign.
"It sets a good precedent. It sets a precedent for us to comprehensively address the ongoing war, not only in meth but be it prescription products or other products that we always come together as a community. All of those who had impact or were affected by this, we come together comprehensively and we address the issue."
Alabama is the first state to participate in the anti-smurfing campaign, which is an education program to be carried out on a voluntary basis by pharmacies throughout the state.
"We have working relationships with almost all of the pharmacies. I believe that they'll be all in on this new initiative."
The mission is to make clear that purchasing pseudoephedrine for a meth cook is a crime that could lead to jail time and have severe consequences.
"The key to this is everybody working together to try to curtail this problem that's in our communities."
And with real-time, stop-sale technology, pharmacies and law enforcement will be able to work together to track this smurfing behavior and make arrests.
"If they've just purchased from a pharmacy across the street, then the pharmacist they're purchasing from then will know immediately."
Smith says he hopes this campaign will make a difference in the Wiregrass.
