Methamphetamine is under fire but the production is rampant. Authorities gathered for a strategy summit in Logan, Iowa Thursday encouraging heartland retailers to join the fight.

The retailers are the guardians of pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in over-the-counter cold medications and a key ingredient in methamphetamine.

Harrison County Sheriff Terry Baxter helped get strict regulations in his county on products used to make meth. They're now under the counter.

Sheriff Baxter says, "It'll actually help us out with our meth operations because it takes pseudoephedrine to make meth. So, we're trying to get that stopped."

Baxter says Nebraska needs to be included in the effort, "because if we set something up here in Iowa, we asked Nebraska officials to show up here because if we don't get something done over there we're just going to push the problem over to them."

Retailers can help law enforcement find meth producers by documenting those who buy these materials in large amounts.

That's why Travis Acheson of Iowa Meth Watch was on hand showing what meth does to a long-time user.

"It's a different person over the years," he said. "In the recipe to get these drugs you are actually putting poisons in their bodies and you can see a mature meth user just because of their personal features."

Acheson says retailers are the first line of defense against meth production.

Penny Lewis works at the Jiffy Mart in Mondamin and she says, "If anybody buys more than two items or more then we have to keep track of it."

Ms. Lewis says store clerks can help make a dent in a serious problem.

She says, "I think any store that sells any of this stuff needs to be aware of what's going on."

Retailers can order a Meth Watch kit to help the effort. It's available through the Meth Watch Web site.

In a related matter, the Iowa Senate approved legislation Thursday aimed at fighting meth on a vote of 50-0. It would restrict the sale of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine statewide. It's unclear when or if the House will debate the bill. Iowa's Speaker of the House, Christopher Rants, says he's concerned the legislature is getting carried away.