Several uniformed cops and sheriffs deputies were in the House balcony Wednesday night when the Iowa House passed a bill that seeks to make it harder to obtain an ingredient for the illegal drug meth. “Just this past weekend we had several instances of people who had violent reactions to some meth they were on,” Des Moines police lieutenant Steve Waymire says. “So it’s an important issue for us, for our safety and for the safety of the citizens of Iowa.” Representative Clel Baudler, a republican from Greenfield who is a retired state trooper, says putting cold medications that contain pseudoephedrine behind the pharmacist’s counter will make it more difficult to get the main ingredient to cook meth. “I believe these pukes that produce this poison deserve a hotter place in hell,” Baudler says. The bill cleared the House last night. It now goes back to the Senate, which passed a more-lenient version which would let people buy small doses of cold meds that have pseudoephedrine. Lieutenant Waymire doesn’t like any exceptions. “There (are) cold medications out there that do not contain pseudoephedrine,” Waymire says. He believes Iowans will put up with a “minor inconvenience” in order to curtail the number of meth labs in the state. House Speaker Christopher Rants, a republican from Sioux City, had raised objections about the bill the House passed last night, yet he voted for it. “Just trying to move the process along,” Rants says. He’s counting on Senators to make it less restrictive so law-abiding Iowans can get their hands on at least a day’s worth of cold or allergy pills. Baudler suspects Rants will not let him participate in the end game negotiations on the meth bill that will produce its final version. “If I’m not there, I would hope that somebody’s there (who) understands what this poison is doing to Iowans,” Baudler says.