Once affectionately known as the meth capital of the world, the state of Iowa has seen a dramatic 88 percent decrease in reported meth labs since their peak in 2004. In a disturbing reverse trend, however, state narcotics agents have worked on 79 percent more prescription drug cases so far this year than in 2007.

Legislators are eyeing two bills next session that could further eradicate meth use and prescription drug abuse.

The first would complement an existing law that limits the over-the-counter sales of cold and allergy medications, such as Sudafed, used in making methamphetamine to 7,500 milligrams over a 30-day period. The new bill would create a statewide system to track these sales on a central database.

The second is an extension of the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which expires this summer. This is another database system that tracks people who forge subscriptions and sell prescription drugs illegally.

We applaud the state’s progress and effort to abolish the dangerous drug methamphetamine. But with this new data on prescription drug abuse, it’s clear that the extension of an existing law would not be enough to curtail the problem. After slaying one dragon, the state needs to regroup and come up with a different, effective strategy to take on its new drug problem.