Taking liberty to the airwaves: 'Bluegrass Mondays' today on 84WHAS

Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute vice president of communications, will be empowering Kentuckians to take back their freedoms today on The Mandy Connell Show on 84WHAS at 10 a.m. EDT)

The "Bluegrass Mondays" segment is part of Connell's show every other Monday.

The Mandy Connell Show airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to Noon (EDT).

Call in to participate in the conversation at (502)571-8484 or (800)444-8484.

Read Jim's recent column on why Oregon is not a good example for Kentucky to emulate when deciding whether to make pseudoephedrine a controlled substance in order to keep it out of the hands methamphetamine makers.

Meth plan would exacerbate prescription drug abuse crisis

Kentucky faces a prescription-drug abuse crisis that Gov. Beshear rightly described in his recent congressional testimony as “the fastest growing, most prolific substance abuse issue facing our country.”

That’s precisely why Kentucky lawmakers rightly resisted proposed legislation during the 2011 session of the Kentucky General Assembly to require prescriptions for purchasing cold and allergy products containing pseudoephedrine – an ingredient used to make methamphetamine, a highly addictive and terribly destructive drug.

Why do some law-enforcement officers vow to keep fighting for this misguided approach when, if passed, it would exacerbate one of our most serious drug-abuse problems? The proposed policy would also remove the current real-time tracking system known as MethCheck, which blocks 10,000 grams of potentially illegal sales of meth ingredients each month.

Pharmaceutical companies implemented and funded the MethCheck system, saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. While we may not have “won” the meth war, we are containing it as law enforcement officials have the tools to find and shut down more meth labs than ever.

What other answers might the private sector come up with that could offer more success than the government solutions that have failed to curb the prescription-drug abuse crisis?

Taking liberty to the airwaves: BIPPS opposes meth proposal on WKYU-PBS

Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute vice president of policy and communications, will appear on "Outlook," a public affairs television program hosted by Barbara Deeb on WKYU-PBS to discuss legislative proposals to make pseudoephedrine -- used to make the dangerous drug methamphetamine -- a controlled substance requiring a prescription for purchase.

Tommy Loving, director of the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task force, was the other guest on the program, which airs on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. (CST).