"I Hate Meth Act" becomes Tennessee Law

• The I Hate Meth Act

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed the I Hate Meth Act on Monday June 6th, 2011. The Act requires TN pharmacies to electronically track the sale of pseudoephedrine. Specifically, the pharmacy is required to submit certain information to the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) before the sale of over-the-counter medicine containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine. While pharmacies have been required to track pseudoephedrine purchases since 2005, the new law requires the input of information into an electronic system before the purchase is complete.

The law also requires that a parent or guardian be charged with child endangerment if their child is under the age of 8, and they knowingly expose the child to "the initiation of a process intended to result in the manufacture of any amount of methamphetamine."

When he signed the law, Governor Haslam stated, "Hopefully, we can start changing the tide against what has for too long been too bad of a problem in East Tennessee." As evidence of this problem, TN reported over 2,000 meth labs seized in 2010. This is the highest state total for labs seized in the country. As a result of those drug busts, more than 500 children were taken into state custody.

The law will take effect on July 1, 2011 and pharmacies will have until January 1, 2012 to install the electronic system.