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New law limits purchase
of meth ingredients Under a new law signed Nov. 16, a key
ingredient used in the production of methamphetamine will not be as
readily available to people making the highly addictive drug.
Senate Bill 273 limits the purchase of cold medicines containing
the powder form of pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient used to make
methamphetamine, and requires individuals to show identification and
sign a log when purchasing these medicines. Senate Bill 273 further
prohibits anyone younger than 18 from buying medicines that contain
pseudoephedrine.
The new Illinois law is based on a law currently in place in
Oklahoma that requires all medicines and products containing the
powder form of pseudoephedrine to be placed behind pharmacy
counters. Only two months after pseudoephedrine controls were
enacted in Oklahoma, the number of methamphetamine laboratories in
that state dropped by 50 percent, and by 80 percent eight months
later. Other states -- including Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa
and Kentucky -- have had similar results.
The new law will take effect Jan. 15, 2006.
Lawmakers deserved more details about All Kids program
The goal of the new All Kids program -- giving all Illinois
children access to health insurance -- is laudable, but Gov. Rod
Blagojevich was wrong to rush the program through the six-day fall
legislative session. Lawmakers were entitled to more details before
being asked to vote on the program.
Information about the actual nuts-and-bolts of the program is
absolutely necessary because the governor's office estimates it will
cost the state $45 million the first year, although industry experts
say it could cost taxpayers upwards of $100 million.
With such a major program, we really should have had more time to
thoroughly discuss it and hammer out the details. What was the rush?
[to top of second column in this article] |
 Blagojevich setting new lows in financial scheming
Rod Blagojevich continues to insist he is not conducting
"business as usual," but he is actually setting new lows in
financial manipulation and misuse of taxpayer dollars for what many
are calling campaign and promotion purposes.
One of his schemes -- selling off student loans held by the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission and using that money to prop
up his bloated budget -- first surfaced in May and was quickly
rejected. However, it appears that something might be afoot because
the governor has begun quietly replacing commission board members.
And last week, the media reported that state parole officers
being told to pass out fliers touting Blagojevich's record on crime
to churches, job centers and other community organizations. And the
Department of Children and Family Services was reportedly planning
to have its workers hand out fliers and press releases highlighting
everything from the governor's violent video games bill to breast
cancer research. The department has since scrapped those plans.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
issued a statement: "Parole agents are public safety officers. They
are not goodwill ambassadors for any officer or candidate. ... No
state employee should be asked or expected or pressured to carry
political material on the job or as a condition of employment."
[From
Sen. Bill Brady]
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