State Rep. Costello II Lead Sponsor of New Anti-Meth Legislation

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State Rep. Jerry Costello II (D-Smithon), Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and state Sen. William Haine (D-Alton) were joined by several members of local law enforcement on Wednesday to announce the Illinois Methamphetamine Precursor Tracking Act, a new legislative proposal to make permanent a state-wide program to electronically track the purchasing of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient of meth.

"This legislation is another step forward in ensuring Illinois isn't a regional destination for buying one of the building-blocks of meth," Costello said. "As anti-meth laws have been put on the books, enterprising meth addicts have come up with new ways to get around the law. One of those techniques involves travelling from pharmacy to pharmacy to purchase pseudoephedrine tablets in an attempt to avoid being noticed by law enforcement. By electronically tracking such purchases, we can help pharmacies and ultimately law enforcement better communicate about pill-shoppers."

The act will make permanent a pilot program that tracks the purchasing of pseudoephedrine and blocks sales of the drug that exceed legal limits. Current law preventd purchasing more than two packages of pseudophedrine at a time and more than 7,500 milligrams in a 30 day time period.

"The effects of meth are devastating, widespread, and way too prevalent in our communities," Costello said. "As I go door to door and listen to the concerns of local residents, many of them have voiced concerns about the prevalence and resurgence of meth and crimes associated with the volatile drug. As a former police officer and a legislator, I will do everything I can to keep our neighborhood safe."

Costello represents the 116th District, which contains all or portions of Perry, Monroe, Randolph, and St. Clair counties. He can be reached at (618) 443-5757, staterepcostello@gmail.com, or www.facebook.com/staterepcostello.