Sec. 9. Maine Meth Watch Program. In establishing the Maine Meth Watch Program under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, chapter 556, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Substance Abuse or its successor shall use the national effort known as "Meth Watch" first begun in Kansas as a public-private partnership.

Sec. 10. Effective date. This Act takes effect October 1, 2005.

SUMMARY

This bill places several restrictions on over-the-counter decongestant cold medicines that can be used in the toxic chemical process of making the illegal drug methamphetamine. The bill affects medicines in solid pill or dry form that contain ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine because those products are commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine. The bill defines those products as "targeted methamphetamine precursors."

The bill exempts medicines in liquid, gel cap or liquid-filled capsule form because those products are not commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine.

The bill restricts the sale of targeted methamphetamine precursors to blister packs containing less than 3 grams of the targeted active ingredients and allows no more than 3 packages to be sold in a single transaction. It requires targeted methamphetamine precursors to be sold by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician and stored in a location that is locked or otherwise not accessible to the public. It authorizes but does not require a pharmacy to request identification and log sales of these products.

The bill allows single-dose packages to continue to be sold at any store as long as they are close to and within sight of store staff.

The bill allows a pharmacist or pharmacy technician to refuse to make a suspicious sale of targeted methamphetamine precursors and to report the situation to a law enforcement agency. It confers immunity from civil liability on a pharmacist