STILLWATER, Okla. — A bill working its way through the state Legislature aims to set up a state meth offenders’ registry, and the measure is drawing support from area police officers and deputies.

"Anytime you can take a proactive step to reduce (meth production), I think that's a great asset for law enforcement in general and ultimately the community," said Cushing Deputy Chief Tully Folden.

House Bill 3380 would create a registry of everyone convicted of possessing, manufacturing or distributing methamphetamine in Oklahoma so pharmacists could bar them from purchasing medicines with pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in meth. The registry would include the offender's name, date of birth, type of meth crime he committed, conviction date and county of conviction.

The registry would be maintained by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Court clerks would send the bureau information on people guilty of meth crimes within 45 days of a conviction.

Offenders in the registry wouldn't be allowed to possess any amount of pseudoephedrine. Anyone who buys pseudoephedrine for someone on the list will be charged with a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine if the bill is passed.

The registry would ban those on its list from purchasing pseudoephedrine for 10 years after a conviction.

The House Public Safety Committee approved the bill last week. It is now in the House of Representatives. If the bill is passed, the "Oklahoma Methamphetamine Offenders Registry Act" would go into effect Nov. 1, 2010.

Paul Bostick, Stillwater police supervisor over special projects in alcohol and drug enforcement, said the bill seems limited and well thought out.

"It seems to be a pretty good idea and well thought out for what it's intended to do," he said.

Folden said he backs the idea of a registry, but said he thinks meth cooks and users would eventually find a way around it.

"Do I think it would totally keep them from doing it? I don't think it'll keep them from doing it," he said.

Payne County Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Nack said he supports the bill, but thinks it could possibly inhibit law enforcement from finding meth offenders. Under current laws, pharmacists must log information on everyone who buys pseudoephedrine in Oklahoma. No more than nine grams of pseudoephedrine can be purchased by an individual in a 30-day period. Law enforcement can arrest individuals who buy more than the legal limit, which may lead them to meth cooks, he said.

The current system used to track buyers by driver's license numbers, until people started to get several identification cards, sometimes from different states, Bostick said. As of Dec. 1 of last year, anyone who buys pseudoephedrine must also be tracked by their birthdate and name. The additions to the tracking system have already reduced the number of people who buy more than the legal limit, Bostick said.