There are new developments this month in the war against drugs.  In Oklahoma, a new online database is helping law enforcement agencies stop people who manufacture methampetamine. KTEN's Chelsea Hover reports.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics now has another tool to further reduce domestic methamphetamine production.     

As of October 1st, an electronic logbook is now in place to better track people trying to purchase pseudoephedrine tablets to cook meth.     

Psuedoephedrine, is a key element in the manufacturing of meth.  In 2004, Oklahoma lawmakers passed a law that placed pseudoephedrine tablets behind pharmacy counters and required customers to sign an in-store log-book.     

Then, a process nicknamed "smurfing" emerged... 

"They go around to different pharmacies buying three boxes at a time and there's no way to monitor how many boxes," said an a Bryan County Drug Task Force agent who preferred to remain anonymous.

Pharmacies had no way to compare notes...     

"Nothing. It just stays here," said Jana Bennett, a pharmacist.  "I guess technically if the DEA wanted to come check out if somebody's been buying a lot of it, they could come see our records, but it doesnt go into any big database or any computer...it stays right here."

Not any more... those logbooks have been replaced with an electronic database, known as the prescription monitoring program.     

"Once they buy three boxes, a red flag will come up if they try to buy it somewhere else and they wont sell it to them," said the Narcotics agent.

The way the database works, pharmacies, doctors, and law enforcement agents will have immediate access to the latest records online.     

Even prior to this new system, state drug agents say operational meth labs have declined by more than 90% in Oklahoma since 2004.   

Chelsea Hover, KTEN News.