Hoping to stem the rise of methamphetamine use in South Carolina, state Attorney General Henry McMaster is pushing a bill that would restrict the sale of certain cold pills containing pseudoephedrine, the active ingredient in medicines such as Sudafed.

It's also the key ingredient in methamphetamine, or meth, an increasingly popular stimulant that can be made with common household products.

"Meth is the kudzu of illegal drugs," McMaster said. "It's spreading at a fast pace, and it's everywhere."

The bill requires retailers to place 14 medications in which pseudoephedrine is the main ingredient behind the counter, where employees would monitor its sale.

People could buy only three packages of the medicines at a time and would need to fill out a log of their purchase and provide photo identification. The log would be sent to the State Law Enforcement Division.

The bill initially would have allowed only pharmacies to sell any medicine containing pseudoephedrine, but it was revised in a compromise between McMaster's office and retailers. More than 100 cold and cough medications contain pseudoephedrine

The proposal also adds criminal penalties for possessing multiple meth ingredients and for making the drug in the presence of children. It also requires a person convicted of making meth to pay restitution for the lab's cleanup.

More than 12 million Americans have tried meth at least once, according to federal statistics, and use of the drug is growing fast.

The drug presents a different challenge to law enforcement agencies because it can be made using legal chemicals and equipment bought in any local pharmacy and hardware store, using a recipe found easily on the Internet.

The drug can be made in small, crude labs that are easily portable. Labs have been found in apartments, hotel rooms, rented storage facilities and trucks.

The mixture can be volatile, and labs often are not found until they explode. Every pound of meth made produces six pounds of toxic waste. That waste frequently sickens police officers, and a lab typically requires extensive cleanup.

In 2002, police found 100 meth labs in the state. Last year, there were 254. Since Nov. 1, officials have busted 125 meth labs.

Target Corp. announced this week its plans to begin moving medicines containing pseudoephedrine behind pharmacy counters in the next 60 to 90 days at its more than 1,300 stores.

Several states are taking the legislative route. Some, like Oklahoma, have classified pseudoephedrine as a Schedule V controlled substance, meaning it can be sold only by pharmacists in limited quantities, and buyers must provide photo identification.

For backers of the proposed South Carolina law, the big question is whether the bill has a chance to make it through the Legislature this year. Next week is the deadline for bills to clear either the House or the Senate to have a chance at passing this year.