Cold sufferers looking for relief in the new year may be surprised to discover many popular cold tablets are no longer available on store shelves.

Instead, they will be behind the counter or in locked cases as part of a new state law implemented to help fight methamphetamine abuse.

The Methamphetamine Manufacturing Chemical Retail Sale Control Act, which went into effect Jan. 1, restricts the display and sale of products containing more than 15 mg. of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. The ingredients are used as nasal decongestants, but are also a key component in the production of meth.

The law also prohibits more than two packages of the targeted products from being sold per transaction.

The law does not apply to prescriptions. Liquid and gel cap medications are also exempt because they cannot be used to efficiently make meth.

The act was signed into law last August and went into effect Jan. 1.

A statewide bill was vital in stopping meth production, said Gail O’Connor, press assistant for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

“The fact that meth is being produced in Illinois definitely triggers a need for tougher legislation,” O’Connor said.

Downstate regions have been harder hit than the rest of Illinois and the number of meth labs seized by authorities in Illinois has gone up drastically, she said.

Illinois State police seized over 970 meth labs in 2003, up from 677 in 2002.

Although a few small labs have been seized in the DeKalb area, local meth use is far from being as problematic as it is in other parts of the state, said DeKalb Police Lt. Jim Kayes.

“There’s not a lot, but it is out there,” Kayes said.

O’Connor said although meth production may not be as heavy in Chicago and other more populated areas, meth producers have been able to find anonymity in city settings as they go from store to store buying products needed to create meth.

The new law will hamper their ability to buy large amounts of cold medications at once, O’Connor said.

O’Connor said retailers, including the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, have been very cooperative in backing the bill.

Some drug companies are offering alternatives free of the restricted ingredients altogether.

Pfizer will introduce Sudafed PE later this year, said Tom Sanford, Global Director of Communications for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.

Sanford said the product would allow retailers and authorities to restrict criminals’ access to meth ingredients while still making cold and sinus relief available to consumers.