Ames police officers have begun working with local businesses to combat the growing number of central Iowa methamphetamine users and the labs that produce the drug.

The worry is that most of the ingredients needed for meth production are readily available in supermarkets, convenience stores and discount retailers.

Ephedrine and Sudafed, both over-the-counter drugs used to ease breathing and bronchial pain, are available on any wall of drugs used for the common cold or sinus pressure. Lithium batteries and automobile starting fluid are also easy to come by.

Only anhydrous ammonia is more difficult to obtain. The fertilizer is fairly easy to find on any farm, however.

“There is nothing illegal about selling them, just putting them together.” said Ames Police Sgt. Mike Johns.

As a way to stop meth producers from purchasing these products in bulk, Wal-Mart, 3015 Grand Ave., has electronic restrictions for these products programmed into their computers.

“When any of these ingredients are purchased, it comes up on the scanner that there is a limit,” said Eric Phillips, a manager-in-training at Wal-Mart.

Phillips said the scanner can also identify if a combination of ingredients are purchased at the same time, including products such as paint and lighter fluid.

Johns said although the city cannot enforce laws making stores require a limit, many already have regulations.

Some retailers, such as Almost Always Open, 419 Lincoln Way, do not enforce a limit because they do not carry the items in bulk quantities.

“There are only small amounts here,” said Vivian Parrott, store manager. “They really couldn’t buy large quantities. I don’t carry them for a reason.”

Johns said shoplifting is another common problem that arises with the items.

Phillips said people rarely purchase products in bulk, but store employees often find empty containers of Sudafed and battery packaging, especially in public bathrooms.

John Tinker, manager of the Central Iowa Drug Task Force and Department of Public Safety Captain, said finding anhydrous ammonia tanks in Iowa is not a hard task.

Tinker said springtime is an ideal time for meth producers because farmers are getting ready to fertilize their crops with high quantities of anhydrous ammonia.

“Farmers have more on hand and retailers carry more in stock during this time of the year,” he said.

Tinker said from July 2000 to June 2001, 88 meth labs were found in Boone and Story counties. He said the number will likely be much higher this year.

“This current year, we are probably running ahead of what the number was a year ago,” he said.

Last year in the state of Iowa, police discovered 764 meth labs.

Tinker said Clarke and Lucas counties produced the most meth, but drug use in Story, Boone and Polk Counties is very high.

“People from the metropolitan areas in Iowa often go to more rural areas where there is less population.” Tinker said.

Tinker said many who sell are users themselves. Some make meth just to sell it, but very few produce it for their own use. Average prices for meth in Iowa vary, but Tinker said it usually sells for $130 a gram.

“Iowa labs are typically producing an ounce or two at a time, compared to larger manufacturers in states like Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas where they have been known to produce pounds and pounds at a time,” Tinker said. “However, producers in Iowa are cooking more, sometimes every other day.”

Tinker said the Central Iowa Drug Task Force is working to educate Iowa communities about the dangers of meth labs.

“We are taking a proactive approach throughout the counties primarily involved as well as within the university,” he said.