NPLEx Continues to Be an Effective Deterrent to Meth Production In Illinois

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Today, state Rep. Mike Halpin released the mid-year 2017 data for the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx), the national real-time, stop sale system used in Illinois to monitor and block unlawful purchases of cold and allergy medicine containing pseudoephedrine (PSE), an ingredient that can be used to make meth.

In addition to Illinois, NPLEx is used in 32 other states and helps retailers across state lines to enforce existing law and ensure that the daily and monthly purchase limits of medicines containing PSE are not exceeded. Additionally, NPLEx helps law enforcement in the capture and prosecution of meth cooks and their associates as the data can be used to identify suspicious purchase patterns and as evidence in criminal proceedings. Illinois is also one of seven states that have supplemented NPLEx by also using the system to prevent the sale of PSE products to people previously convicted of drug crimes.

Through the first two quarters of 2017, NPLEx blocked 7,053 boxes of PSE in Illinois, totaling 16,445 grams. The number of boxes blocked is approximately a seven percent reduction from this point in 2016. This is evidence that this system is working, and preventing those blocked from illegally purchasing PSE from further attempts.

“Midway through the year, the data makes it clear that NPLEx continues to be an invaluable tool in our state’s fight against meth,” said Halpin. “By allowing law enforcement to keep up with, and stop, those seeking to make meth, NPLEx has given us a leg up on criminals in the fight against meth, and I look forward to its continued success.”