There has been an important victory in the battle against methamphetamine in recent months - the voluntary decision of nine major retailers including Target, Wal-Mart and Longs Drugs to put cold medicines containing a key ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamine behind the counter.

This step by retailers will make it much tougher for meth cooks to produce this devastating drug.

This action follows on the heels of 12 new state laws that require pseudoephedrine products to be moved behind the counter. These new laws are modeled on an enormously successful Oklahoma law that has cut meth lab seizures by law enforcement by 80 percent since the law's enactment in April 2004.

But this patchwork of state laws and voluntary actions isn't enough to curb the spread of meth - we need a national standard that limits access to pseudoephedrine.

Meth has swept across the nation in recent years, leaving behind a trail of destroyed lives, shattered families, crime sprees and hazardous waste. It is a horribly destructive drug that is cheap, accessible and potent.

And for years, obtaining the materials to make meth has been as simple as taking a trip to the local store.

Meth labs fueled by over-the-counter purchases of huge quantities of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine pose a serious danger. These small labs are often located in houses or apartments, endangering families by exposing them to toxic chemicals and bringing meth production right next door to law-abiding citizens.

And meth is a problem that has grown dramatically worse in recent years:

According to the latest report by the Department of Health and Human Services, there were nearly 39,000 emergency room visits in 2002 nationally related to meth use, an increase of 55 percent since 1995.

So far this year, California law enforcement officers have seized 828 meth labs - more than the 778 labs seized in all of 2004.

But this isn't just a California problem. In the last year, police have seized more than 9,300 meth labs nationally - a 500 percent increase since 1996, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., and I have introduced legislation to bring the meth problem under control. The Combat Meth Act, also based on the Oklahoma law, would:

To ensure that rural communities without pharmacy access are not harmed, the legislation would authorize the Drug Enforcement Administration to allow certain stores to sell the medicines as long as they required customers to present proof of identification and sign for purchases of pseudoephedrine products.

Customers would be able to purchase the cold medications that they need while enabling us to address a major public safety problem. The legislation, which currently has 24 co-sponsors, would also authorize $43 million to:

On a recent visit to the Central Valley, law enforcement officers shared with me tragic stories of children found in the midst of meth labs, exposed to toxic chemicals in their own homes. These officers told me of the more than 3,000 children who have been placed in state custody because their parents were using or distributing meth.

We need to take on this scourge before it endangers more children and shatters more families in California and across the country.