New Figures On Meth-Related Arrests

New numbers are out on the success of what's called the "Mobile County Meth Initiative."
Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran said authorities have arrested more than 100 people buying pills to make methamphetamines since the program started.
The latest came this past weekend when the sheriffs office arrested eleven people.
Cochran said the initiative combines education and enforcement.
Pharmacies and other stores keep a county-wide database of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine sales, the products used to make meth.
Cochran said, "We focus on those individuals we refer to as 'pill shoppers,' and they're shopping for these pills either to go manufacture meth themselves, or to take it to someone, or sell to someone that will manufacture the meth."
Pharmacist Cassandra Christian said the program is "extremely important. First of all, it unites pharmacies."
Christian said pharmacists aren't police officers, but "we still have a duty and we have an honor to uphold, and we cannot in good conscience dispense or sell something to someone when we know that they are using it illicitly or even suspect (that)."
Cochran said he's seen a decrease in the sales of such pills since the initiative started, but has seen an increase in "the manufacturing of fake I.D.s. We arrested someone last week that had 40 something fake I.D.s where they would try to get someone to go around to the different stores with so many different fake I.D.s to buy the product."
Christian said, "It just kills me to see how many people come in there (the pharmacy) with non-drivers I.D.s, yet, if you follow them to the parking lot, guess what they're doing: driving away."
As part of the initiative, you can text the sheriff's office to report meth use.
You put in the words "TEXTME," or the numbers 8-3-9-8-6-3.